Spooky, Sweet, and Filled with Treats!

FREE Ground Shipping in the US - Click Here!

I will be posting my Weekly Goals tomorrow but a heads-up as to one of them...more dehydrating!  Yup!  I want to use my dehydrator MORE this week!  I will most likely be using it to dry fresh basil since we have so much from our Container Garden but I also want to try at least 1 sweet treat in there, too!  Since I'm an Excalibur Dehydrator Affiliate I thought I would post a little bit about this and some more news from Excalibur!  CLICK HERE to receive FREE Ground Shipping on your order.

Another thing I wanted to share - in case you didn't know - their dehydrators now come with a clear 'see-thru' door.  You can order your dehydrator with it or just order the door!  I LOVE that this option is available!  I find myself peeking in on my 'goods' while I'm drying and by opening the door you lose some time but if I were to have this 'see thru' door I wouldn't have to peek and extend my drying time.  I might have to order this soon OR have it be on my Christmas List!

Another great thing about their new product offerings is that they now come in 6 colors!

I'll  have a total of 3 posts today...so stay tuned for a recipe...and scroll down to see what I did yesterday...

Raw Vegan Pepperoni

I had a few adventures or 'journeys' in the kitchen this weekend.  This was one of them!  I wanted to try and make Raw Vegan Pepperoni.  I think I was fairly successful!
Here's the recipe:
8 Salted Sun Dried Tomatoes
2 Tomatoes
1 T Minced Garlic
2 T Flax Seeds, Ground
1 T Hemp Oil
1/2 tea Original GoL's Raw Protein

After combining all ingredients - while leaving about a quarter of the ground flax for sprinkle - this is what it looked like while going into the dehydrator.  It was too gooey to flatten at this point so I threw them in the dehydrator for about 3 or 4 hours.  That's about when I took them out and flattened them - they were not as gooey - they were more dough-like at that point.

Here's a pic of when I flattened them.  You can see that the more moist insides smooshed thru and you can see two different colors.  I actually like the two-tone color combo going on here but they weren't done yet.  So I put them back in for about another 4 hours or so.  Of course I flipped them at least once right around that time too.


Tah-Dah!  Here they are!  I have a bowl of them to use throughout the week!  I ended up putting some on my Egg Trick Muffin that you saw yesterday.  I will be using them on salads, too!

If I get brave enough I might try and do another raw pizza which was another kitchen fail last week.  I didn't blog about that fee-ask-co but I instagrammed it!

I'm really trying to think outside the box with my dehydrator creations and I think I accomplished that with this one!

Healthy Vegan Friday's Participant

Raw Vegan Eggplant Tips (with Marinade Recipe)

A raw vegan answer to 'beef tips' or 'steak strips' that I made in my dehydrator over the weekend.  It was fun to make and I'm saving them to use on salads and some stir fries this week!

Recipe as follows...

1 Eggplant

 soaked in...

1/3 C Balsamic

1 T Hemp Oil
1 tea (or more) Kelp & Cayenne Seasoning/Mix
1/2 tea GoL's Perfect Food Energizer

After soaking the eggplant strips in the mixture for about a half hour I saved the marinade and will be using it on other things this week.  I put them in my dehydrator for about 6 or 7 hours at about 115 to 118 degrees.

I chose this GoL product to add to the mixture because of the 'green' taste to it from some of the ingredients being Broccoli, Spinach, Brussel Sprouts, and more.  Check out the link above for more ingredients in this powerful blend.

Today's Bento Box & More Kale Chips

I have a fairly simple lunch today in my Bento Box.  I have Whole Wheat Sandwich Rounds in the bog container with Spicy Cashews surrounding it - I must make more - they didn't last long!  Then in the center I finished up some shredded lettuce the reddish/orange sauce is the leftover sauce I used on my newest Kale Chips...I had just enough to use as a spread for this Bento Box Sandwich.  Then you will see a little section of dried Salt & Vinegar Zuke Chips!

Here's a photo of it all assembled, too!  I'm LOVING my boxes and my insulated bag!  They are easy to clean!  I MAY be getting something in the mail that I might be able to incorporate with my Bento Box Adventures - if I do - I will keep you updated on that if it happens!

My Mini Goals have been going fairly well!  I still have to JUICE and get to making Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Foods but other than that all of the other Mini Goals are going well so far!

You probably can tell I LOVE Kale Chips...most people do...that have tried them...but I REALLY LOVE them...especially now that I have my upgraded dehydrator!  Woot! 

Check out these BABIES! 

They are Cheesy but also a little sweet! 

Here's what I did for the sauce for these:
 
About 6 C Kale, Chopped
1 C Cashews, Soaked
1 HUGE Red Bell Pepper
4 T Lemon Juice
1 T Agave Nectar
1 tea Onion Powder
1/2 tea Turmeric
Sprinkle Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
1 teaspoon GoL Perfect Food Regular Flavor

I have a few other things to post but I will wait until tomorrow and the weekend!  What do you think I should try for a Kale Chip Flavor NEXT!?

Cheesy Protein Crackers

Multiple Posts today!  Be sure to keep reading after this one!  In this post you will see I have continued breaking in my new Excalibur Dehydrator this past weekend.  I'm learning that most of the process is trial and error, really.  These eventually turned out great!  But it took a while!  I made the 'better' very thicken and ended up dehydrating them for about 22 hours or so to get the crispy texture I was craving!  The cheese flavor was right were I wanted it to be - of course without actually cheese!  Below is what I put in these little crackers along with a lot of love...

1/4 C Coconut Secret Coconut Flour
1 C Cashews
4 T Nutritional Yeast
1 tea Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
1 tea Lemon Juice
1/2 tea Onion Powder
1/2 tea Garlic Powder
pinch of Cayenne
1/2 tea Paprika
1/2 tea Turmeric
1/4 C Almond Milk
1 tea GoL Wheatgrass Perfect Food
1/4 tea Liquid Smoke
1 Small Tomato

Now I am trying to think of what Cracker Flavors to do next!  Let me know if you have ideas and/or requests!

Basil Pesto Spinach Snacks

MONTHS ago when I was researching all sort of Kale Chips from different companies and different kind of dehydrated chips and all sorts of different flavors of these said "chips" I came across Seaweed Chips with a Cashew Cheese on top - both dried - both raw.  They were very tasty.  Over the weekend I wanted to come up with some of my own and do them in my new Dehydrator...that is how this idea was born.  Instead of Seaweed or Kale I used Frozen Spinach that I thawed and got as much of the liquid out as possible.  It worked out to be about 2 Cups of Spinach.

I then added a little bit of Wildtree Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil - only about a teaspoon or so PLUS about the same amount of Apple Cider Vinegar.  I sprinkled in a little bit of Garlic Sea Salt (but a very little bit since I'm not much of a salt person).  I also took a handful of Cashews and Grinded them in my Mini Coffee Grinder I use as a Spice Grinder...made that into a 'near' powder.  I was going for a Parmesan-like texture and taste to it.  I also added 1/2 of a teaspoon of GoL's Wheatgrass Perfect Food.  I mixed everything in to the damp spinach and took pinches of the mixed and put them on my dehydrator trays and dried them for about 12 hours or so.  They sure did have that Basil Pesto Flavor I was looking for!  I ate one of the dried munchies and started craving another shortly after.  I hope to do some more Kale Chip as well as Spinach Chips in the very near future, too!  Stay Tuned.

Participating Post: You're Gonna Love It Tuesdays, 

Dehydrating, Decore, and Dogs!

There were SEVERAL things I did in my brand new dehydrator over the weekend but I thought I would share this with you first as well as a few other things from the weekend on this chilly Monday!

First up...

Dehydrated Apples!  Yes...I left the skins on!  I know many of you take the skins off while dehydrating.  I have done both but wanted them on there this time!  I dipped them in Organic Lemon Juice prior to putting them in my Excalibur.  I also sprinkled on Wildtree Hearty Oatmeal Sugar & Spice Mix In.  They were so good I already have to make more.  Hubby enjoyed a few as well!

Dale has been wanting to decorate the living room and put the tree up so we did that over the weekend as well.  He's big into the fake tree and I enjoy outdoor lights a bit more.  This year was the first time we have done both indoors and outdoors in a LONG time.

Here's a photo of our tree.  We have it high and up and out of the way since we have our 3 dogs and 2 cats we had to strategically place it 'just-so'.  Instead of buying a new tree skirt we used the skirting of a 'bed in a bag' since we don't use the bed skirting anyways...it worked out pretty well!

As for outside...many of our lights worked from YEARS ago which was a nice surprise.  We did add a few little things this year, tho, including the lighted candy canes.  I found 8 of them for a total of $17 at Aldi!

As an afterthought we ended up getting the 2 spiral lighted trees last-minute for $20 at Family Dollar.

We are thinking about keeping the 18-foot tub lights out and wrapped around the light pole all year - even after the holidays - because it's VERY dark on our street and Hubby leaves for work around 4am M-F.

Here's another look at the right hand side of our front 'yard'.  I use the term 'yard' very loosely because it's not really a 'yard' due to the fact we don't have any grass!  Right past the public/city sidewalk is our front 'garden' and steps up to our house.

We have some large stones, a fossil (not pictured, but cool to look at), and a cement block, along with a couple of other things in our front garden that we could add a few Season's Greetings type decor to the mix.

And here's another look from the left hand side - the side with our Lamp Post.  The light we have in there year round doesn't give off all that much light so I think the lighted tube might help.  We haven't totally decided if we are going to keep that part up after the holidays but we might.

I think it turned out nice without going overboard.  Unfortunately, we haven't been overly social with our neighbors but I know some of them must be surprised that we decorated out front this year!

And...of course...the furkids enjoyed every minute of us being home this past weekend.  We did get a lot done around the house too!  I spent a good amount of time washing out our main sink...it was pretty gross...around the drain.  I used the last of my Tub and Tile and Tough and Tender from when we used to be Melaleuca Members.  I will miss their natural cleaning supplies the most but I'm sure I will make, create, and find others I like, too!

Here's a picture of Riley being lazy last night.  I forgot to mention last week while I was tinkering around with my dehydrator that Paco some how unzipped my Memory Foam Pillow and ripped apart the inside as well as ate some of it.  BUGGER!!!!  Long story short he's ok, but OMG was I upset and more importantly worried about the little guy!  He hasn't chewed on things in MANY MONTHS so I don't know what that was all about! 

Fruit Seed & Nut Protein Balls

I have 3 posts today so please scroll down!  Some really exciting items and tasty items!  If you continue reading you will see I got my Christmas Gift early yesterday and I jumped right in and made something with it last night!  These little Protein Balls...they are heavy on the nuts and seeds as well as fruit!  This first photo is prior to dehydrating - taking a look-see on the sheets.

And this photo is from early this morning when I took them out of the dehydrator!  I had 3 of them for Breakfast!  They were yummy.

This is what I put in them:

1/2 Banana
1/3 C Sunflower Seeds
1/3 C Pecans
1/3 C Almonds
1/3 C Cranberries
2 Dates
1/3 C Hemp Seeds
6 Strawberries
1/2 Scoop of GoL Raw Perfect Food - Regular Flavor
2 T Strawberry Flavored Agave from Wholesome Sweeteners
1/3 C Flaxseed with Fruit from GoL

I would rally like to try some crackers and bread really soon!  I'm also determined to create a Pesto Sauce using one of the GoL Powders as well...perhaps their Wheatgrass. 

My New Excalibur 2900 ECB 9 Tray Dehydrator

Christmas came early for me this year!  Here's my My New Excalibur 2900 ECB 9 Tray Dehydrator!  It was delivered yesterday.  I'm so excited.  I think I will call her Guinevere. 

I set it up on top of my Freezer.  It weighs about 22 pounds so I shouldn't have a problem moving it when I need to get into my freezer.  It is my secondary freezer, after all.  We store larger items in there things we don't need access to on a daily basis, really.  All of my frozen fruit and veggies are in my other freezer above my frig.


I will have more write-ups on this new addition to my kitchen very soon!  I just couldn't wait to announce it's arrival!  The very first thing I made were little Protein Balls and I will be posting more about that very soon! 
 

Some of the features include:

• 9-tray dehydrator, 15 square feet of drying space
• Built in on off switch
• Great for large familes and gardens
• Includes adjustable thermostat
• Easy to clean polyscreen tray inserts 

Vegan Cheez-Its & Vegan Cheez Slices Made In My Dehydrator

I'm still overjoyed with the way my Kale Chips turned out and if you read that you saw that I had left over sauce.  I said that I was going to keep you posted about what I did with it and that, my friend, is what THIS post is about today.

Following the same recipe in that post with the addition of the Garden Of Life Perfect Food I evened out the rest of my sauce into my dehydrator and let it run overnight.  This morning when I opened it up the thinner parts of the spread dried into nice thin chips.  They reminded me of Cheez-It's and I was so happy!  Some of the thicker parts were a bit flimsier and I noticed they could pass as sliced 'cheese'.  I figured I would try it on toast.  It worked well.  The flavor was cheesy-like but the texture reminded me back when I ate cheese and that little bit stuck to the pan...oh yes...it was nice!  I know the photo doesn't do it much justice.  It's a bit dark...the color of these slices and chips was that of an orange or a reddish-orange.  More importantly - they were both tasty!  And FUN to make!  I am pleased with these two taste tests, indeed!  Tomorrow I will be posting about a Smoothie or TWO so stay tuned!

Red Pepper & Cashew Kale Chips

It's been WAY TOO LONG since my last batch of Kale Chips.  Sunday Night when we got home from the hubby's Family Thanksgiving I had a bunch of Kale and wanted to make them for MY family's Thanksgiving on Thursday.  My sister really enjoyed them last year and I told her I would make some again this year.  She seems really excited!  They turned out EPIC if I do say so myself!  I have to restrain myself from eating them prior to Thursday!  Eeeeeek!  This is a picture of the finished product.

Here's what I used for the 'sauce' to coat them prior to putting them in the dehydrator overnight...

2 Sweet Red Bell Peppers

1 C of Cashews

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to taste

5 or 6 Squirts of Bragg's Liquid Aminos

4 T (or so) Lemon Juice

Pinch of Curry

Here's another look at the sauce stand-alone.  I REALLY coated it well!  I ran out of Nutritional Yeast prior to doing these so these are Nutritional Yeast FREE.  Normally I would add some in the mix but didn't this time around.

I had a LOT of sauce left over and used it as a dip last night.  I might use it as a spread on bagels too!  

But I also added 1 T of Garden Of Life Perfect Food Raw (Regular Flavor) to the leftovers.  This sauce is AMAZING!!!  I am tempted to spread this on my top dehydrator sheet and dry it over night and make a cracker out of it!  It sort of tastes cheesy!  YUM!  I will surely keep you posted on that if I do!

Participating Post:
Live It Up At The Healthy, Happy, Green

Apple Cinnamon Flax Crackers

Hi there!  TGIF!  It's been a WEEK let me tell you!  But I am so happy I reached one of my mini goals this week and that was to do more with my dehydrator.  Yesterday I posted about some super awesome Protein Bars I made using the Garden Of Life Super Greens.  Today I have another recipe and idea for you using the Garden Of Life's Perfect Food Raw APPLE Flavor - Super Greens - YAY!  I made Apple Cinnamon Flax Crackers!


Here's what I used to make these Flax Crackers:

1/2 C Flax Seeds (Soaked)
1/2 C Water (for Soaking)
1 Scoop of the Perfect Foods Apple (see link above)
1/4 t Cinnamon

As you can see in the first photo that's what it looked like WET and going into the dehydrator.  I let these go over night and in the morning they were just the right texture.  Completely Dry, too!  The 2nd photo you will see what they look like as crackers all broke apart. 

I will say that these were quite Apple-Like.  The Powder itself has that nice flavor but also a sweetness, too!  It goes GREAT with cinnamon.  I will have more Cracker Ideas in the very near future.  If you have any flavor combos you are interested in please let me know!  In the meantime...check our Garden Of Life's Perfect Food Line!  Impressive!

Sweet Protein Bars & Balls

I originally had some Flax Crackers planned for today's post but decided to bump it back to tomorrow.  WHY!?  Because I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED about these Protein Bars I made!!!!

This is probably one of the most tasty things I have posted on this blog YET!  Especially when it comes to "sweet toothy' items.  Since going vegan I really haven't had any dessert type items because I don't bake and no one around me bakes vegan items.  When I find them in the store they are very pricey, too.  I know I will have to buckle down and do my own and I thought this was a great start!  PLUS...as promised...I broke out my dehydrator and started using it again over the last few nights!  As you can see in this first photo - this is the batter of these bars!  I used my Ninja.  It did a pretty good job.  Especially because the ingredients were all dry and/or solid.  I was going for a chunkier texture than smooth.  Most of the time when I throw things in my Ninja I try to reach a very smooth texture.  Not for this project.  And I think it stood up to the test quite well, actually!

Before I get to EXACTLY what's in this I have more pictures to show you! 

After blending the ingredients in my Ninja I flattened it out on a plastic kitchen mat...it's sort of like a cutting board but "flimpsier" - don't get me wrong - it's not poorly made - it's fairly heavy-duty - it's just not a regular cutting board or wooden surface I have used in the past.  This is what the flatten batter looked like.  I'm not going to lie...I stole a bit of the raw batter and found it to be VERY tasty as is...but I cut them into rectangles and put them in the dehydrator so they would be like breakfast or snack bars instead!  I had a few little pieces leftover and decided to make 3 small 'balls' with the leftovers.  Scroll down for the photo - among others!

So...what is IN this Protein Bar, you ask!?  Well, let me tell you...

1 C Raw Almonds (Not Soaked)
2 C Pitted Dates
1 Scoop of Garden of Life's Perfect Food Alkalizer & Detoxifier Powder
4 T Peanut Butter (I used 2 T of Chocolate Peanut Butter & 2 T Peanut Butter only because I didn't have enough Chocolate Peanut Butter left)
1/4 C Fresh Cranberries

Now...a little bit about this RAW Organic Green Super Food from Garden of Life...

• Highly alkalizing RAW organic lemon juice and RAW organic parsley†
   
• RAW organic coconut water for hydration and replenishment of electrolytes
   
• Eight powerful cleansing herbs, traditionally used for centuries to gently assist in daily detoxification†
  
  
• Unmatched nutritional power from RAW organic grass juices and antioxidant filled RAW organic fruit and vegetable juices†
  
  
• Digestion soothing RAW organic ginger, plus live probiotics and enzymes†
  

Perfect Food RAW Puts the GREEN in Greens—More Chlorophyll in Every Serving 

Vegan • Certified Organic • Dairy Free • Soy Free • Live Probiotics and Enzymes • No Whole Grass Fillers
No Added Sugars • No Artificial Flavors or Sweeteners • No Preservatives

 Here is what they looked like after being in the dehydrator overnight.  I LOVE that you can SEE what's IN these just by looking at them!  The Cranberries - eventho I only used about 1/4 C - where PERFECT in these!  Overall these were SO FLAVORFUL and I really loved them!  I will be doing various variations of these in the weeks to come!  

This is PERFECT for me!  I think they are great to grab on-the-go, wonderfully filling for a quick breakfast and/or snack, or even a dessert or if you have a 'sweet tooth'.  

And if "Bars" aren't really your thing or if you find that they are too big - you can roll them into little balls like I did here!  These 3 are what I had for breakfast this morning in addition to a smoothie which consisted of GoL's Marley Raw Protein mixed in with Mint Chocolate Coconut Milk...I will be writing up a contributing article to submit to their product blog soon for that so keep an eye out on this site to read it in the near future!  I also made it into a vegan Ice Cream, too!

Words cannot express how much I LOVE these lil Protein Bars & Balls!

In My Kitchen ~ November

For this post I will be participating in In My Kitchen - November Edition.  Of course most of my entries you will see what's been going on in and around my kitchen but I figured this would be a good one to catch up on some random food things!

New Earth Superconscious Living Almond Courage.  I have to say this took me a while to appreciate and understand!  At first I was eating the contents of the bag one at a time.  I think I was a little thrown off at the texture of the dried Mulberries...not completely sure but I just wasn't totally loving them!  But then I had that Ah-HA Moment!  If you eat them by the small handful and not one by one and get all or at least several ingredients in your mouth at once - they overall flavor was much better.  More tasty!  Complex yet real!  This way...I really liked it!  This product is vegan, it's RAW, and it dandy to have on hand at the office for mid-afternoons!  I think it would be great as a cereal topping, too...but I just like snacking on them!  Ingredients include: organic activated almonds, organic sweetened cacao nibs, organic mulberries, organic goji berries, organic coconut chips, organic yacon syrup, organic mesquite pod, organic reishi, wildcrafted himalayan pink salt.

Another thing in my kitchen lately are Sesame Sticks.  The ones I get come from my local Herb Shop.  They are Non-GMO and contain Wheat Flour, Barley Flour, Soy Bean Oil, Sesame Seeds, Bulgur Wheat, Beet Powder, Turmeric, and Salt.

These are another great snack or salad topping!

Last night we did a Wildtree Tasting Party for a friend.  It was the first time we tried to make the Chai Spiced Bread.  Actually, my mother made it.  It was a HIT!  She said it was different from the other breads she has made but in the end the flavor was tasty and there wasn't any left at the end of the night and that's what counts!  All you have to do to this Bread Mix as add water!  NO EGGS NEEDED!  Yessss!  I was so happy!  The ingredients for this product are located HERE.  If you are interested in purchasing this product or any other products from Wildtree PLEASE visit our website/store!

Next Up...Maca Powder from Foods Alive.  I'm still a novice when it comes to Maca.  I have been tinkering with it a bit and hope to add some success stories to my site soon!  

This Maca Powder is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and iron, and contains trace minerals, including zinc, iodine, copper, selenium, bismuth, manganese and silica, as well as B vitamins. It also contains four alkaloids proven in scientific investigation to nourish the endocrine glands.  

It has a nutty taste, blends well with cereals, ice creams, juices, milks, yogurts, pies, cakes, smoothies, cookie fillings and desserts and can be added to a variety of recipes. 2-3 tsps per day is the suggested use of the powder.

It's been a LONG time since I have dehydrated anything in my dehydrator.  I think it's because I am longing for a NEW Dehydrator.  I really want a square one...not this round one I have from Nesco that I have had for YEARS.

Regardless I will be pushing myself to use it more in the coming months.  I will certainly report back here with my efforts.

Of course, the ultimate would be an Excalibur but I can't see myself spending like 300 bucks on one!

I know I have mentioned it before on my blog but it's worth another mention that is for sure!  The Raw Protein Marley Coffee Blend from Garden of Life.  I'm totally LOVING it and will have more ideas and recipes very soon.  So far my favorite quick and easy recipe is a scoop of this in 1 C of Almond Milk (or Cashew Milk) with 2 Tablespoons of Chocolate Peanut Butter from the Peanut Butter Company.  But I will say I am super excited about the whole line thus far and will have TONS of ideas in many upcoming posts!  I might even start contributing to their blog!  VERY EXCITING!  This among many other things are what's new and or HOT in my kitchen so far this month!  How about you!?  I could go on and on about tons of other things, too, but I will save those for future posts!

 Also Participating Post for Live It Up at Healthy, Happy, Green, & Natural

Vibrant Vegan eBook - 20 Amazing Raw Vegan Kale Chips Recipes

I don't usually purchase cookbooks (I borrow a lot of them) and I don't think I have ever actually BOUGHT an eBook...UNTIL TODAY.

I found this little gem!

And you know how I have been searching and searching for more ways and flavors of Kale Chips - so - I figured I would buy it!  It was a little over $6 with the tax.  

This really is THE book to get on KALE and KALE CHIPS!  I'm very surprised just how much info is included in it!  It's wonderful!

I am excited to try some if not all of them!  Plus - once I get used to more flavor combos - I'm going to create my own combinations with Wildtree blends and report back!

I'm so happy I purchased this eBook!

If you would like more info on this eBook or to buy it - check out the link HERE.

Kale Chips

I haven't used my dehydrator in far too long...I decided to bust it out...give it a good washing, today, and make some Kale Chips!

I took a few handfuls/stalks of kale and broke them apart into smaller pieces

I added:
1 T Wildtree European Dipping Oil - Garlic
1/4 C of Nutritional Yeast *
1/3 C of Water

and used my hands to mix well - absorbing all of the liquid - the coating was paste-like or almost like a dressing of sorts.

I'm waiting for them to do-their-thing in the dehydrator...about 4 to 6 hours at 115.

* I realize Nutritional Yeast isn't raw in itself but have seen it used in raw recipes. If you do not eat nutritional yeast you can omit it. I saw other recipes where cashews were used in a similar way in a blender with the oil and water and used in the mix, too.