Suzanne - Kristen Suzannes EASY Raw Vegan Dehydrating: Delicious & Easy Raw Food Recipes for Dehydrating Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Seeds, Pancakes, Crackers, Breads, Granola, Bars & Wraps

Kristen Suzannes
EASY
Raw Vegan
Dehydrating

Delicious & Easy Raw Food Recipes for Dehydrating Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Seeds, Pancakes, Crackers, Breads, Granola, Bars & Wraps

by Kristen Suzanne

Green Butterfly Press
Scottsdale, Arizona

CLICK HERE FOR OTHER BOOKS
BY KRISTEN SUZANNE

• Kristens Raw: The EASY Way to Get Started & Succeed at the Raw Food Vegan Diet & Lifestyle
• Kristen Suzannes EASY Raw Vegan Entrees
• Kristen Suzannes EASY Raw Vegan Desserts
• Kristen Suzannes EASY Raw Vegan Soups
• Kristen Suzannes EASY Raw Vegan Salads & Dressings
• Kristen Suzannes EASY Raw Vegan Sides & Snacks
• Kristen Suzannes EASY Raw Vegan Smoothies, Juices, Elixirs & Drinks (includes wine drinks!)
• Kristen Suzannes EASY Raw Vegan Holidays
• Kristen Suzannes Ultimate Raw Vegan Hemp Recipes
• Kristen Suzannes Ultimate Raw Vegan Chocolate Recipes
• Kristen Suzanne's EASY Raw Vegan Transition Recipes

For details, Raw Food resources, and Kristens free Raw Food newsletter, please visit:

KristensRaw.com

Copyright 2008 by Kristen Suzanne Helmstetter

All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. The publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

For information on excerpting, reprinting or licensing portions of this book, please write to:

info@greenbutterflypress.com

Chapter 1

Dehydrating Fundamentals

THE BUDDHA

Dehydrating some of your raw food is a great aspect to the raw vegan lifestyle, because it adds variety, as well as shelf life. With a dehydrator, you can have crunchy foods, warm foods, marinated foods with a texture reminiscent of cooked food, and foods that can last a long time in your pantry, refrigerator or freezer. One of the biggest challenges people think theyll encounter with raw food cuisine is not having enough time to prepare the food and/or not having enough variety. Bringing a dehydrator into your life solves both of these issues.

Dehydrating your raw food at a low temperature is a technique that warms and dries your food while preserving its nutritional integrity. You are removing moisture from the food so bacteria, yeast and mold dont grow and spoil the food. The food becomes lighter in weight because the water weight is gone.

This is great for the raw food lifestyle because you can make something and eat it at a later date. You dont always have to eat everything immediately after you make it. This can make life much easier, especially when youre new to Raw.

Dehydrating your food is really simple. Youll find some great recipes to get you started in this book. This style of preparing food offers you the opportunity to enjoy foods that are crunchy like crackers and vegetable chips, as well as chewy and pliable like fruit leather. You can always have something delicious on hand when you are hungry; this is especially helpful when you find yourself strapped for time and needing something fast. Dehydrating is useful for food preparation that you need to do in advance. For example, if you know youre going to be entertaining next month, you can start some of the preparations right now by making your breads and crackers ahead of time.

When you use a dehydrator you can also save a lot of money. I find myself easily saving money when I make my own dehydrated foods as opposed to buying pre-dried, packaged foods.

There are many brands on the market, but there is only one that I truly love. My favorite is from Excalibur because they are trusted, their technology is state of the art (as well as their customer service), and they have something for everyone. They have been the leaders in dehydration technology for over 35 years. If you ask around among raw fooders and people in-the-know, youll almost always find that Excalibur is the name most recommended.

Excalibur offers dehydrators in several different sizes and all I can truthfully say bigger is better. So often I hear from clients of mine that they bought the 5-tray version instead of the 9-tray model, and they wished they had gone with the bigger choice. They thought they wouldnt need all 9 trays but realized that they indeed should have gone bigger. Dehydrating is so easy and fun that youll find yourself doing it frequently. With the 5-tray version, youll run out of dehydrating space very quickly.

Excalibur products are designed to be environmentally sound, so when you purchase an Excalibur dehydrator, you are helping to maintain a cleaner, greener planet. Excalibur dehydrators' door, case, trays, and knobs are made from medical-grade recycled plastics. Furthermore, Excalibur dehydrators are designed to run on lower wattage thus saving electricity.

Through special arrangement, as a reader of my books, you can receive a 10% discount on all Excalibur products when you buy direct from the manufacturer by calling them, using the following information:

10% OFF EXCALIBUR

DEHYDRATORS & PRODUCTS

To receive your 10% discount,

order via toll-free number by calling:

1-800-875-4254 Ext. 102

Mention the

Kristens Raw 10% Discount

For Excalibur product details, visit:

www.drying123.com

According to Excaliburs expert staff:

• What type of stainless steel is the dehydrator made out of? Not all stainless steel is the same. To make stainless cheaper, typically lower grades are mixed with other metals, which can change the color, density and safety when coming into contact with heat and food.
  
• What are the trays made of? Many low-grade stainless steel dehydrators do not come with stainless steel trays they are sold with trays that are chrome plated and/or nickel-plated. Keep in mind your food is setting on these trays. Over time this plating can chip off in your food and rust. Chrome plating usually makes use of hexavalent chromium (Cr+6). Many studies in the last decade have shown it to be dangerous, citing evidence that hexavalent chromium causes lung cancer and other serious health conditions. Because of these health concerns, the chrome plating process has come under increased regulations in the U.S. based on chromes hazardous and environmentally toxic properties. In order to avoid increased regulations many companies have moved their operations overseas. Important: If you purchase a stainless steel dehydrator, make sure the trays are 100% stainless steel.
  
• Where is the dehydrator manufactured? Beware of low-grade stainless steel coming out of China (and chrome plated trays from overseas). You can be proud buying your dehydrator from Excalibur, because it is a U.S. made product.