GAPS Dehydrator Snacks

We've been experimenting lately with making some snacks in the dehydrator. I generally prefer to provide snacks that are not dried, as it can be hard keeping N hydrated and I do count the water in food toward her hydration. However making some snacks in the dehydrator has been really fun and gives us some healthy foods to enjoy, especially when we've been traveling.

One of the things that is great about dehydrating snacks is you don't really need a recipe, you can make the quantity you want, pop it in your dehydrator and wait a while. Test them as you go. Our dehydrator has a timer and a temperature control and I like drying at 105 degrees or less to retain enzymes.

Some favorites so far:

Kale Chips
You can use any kale but I like using the curly variety as it holds the oil and flavorings and seems to dry better as it is lifted off the drying sheets. We wash the kale, then tear it in to pieces, stems removed and spin dry in the salad spinner. (Save the "scraps" for juicing if you want.) In a large bowl add olive or coconut oil and season to your taste. Give the kale a nice massage so you get the oil and seasonings all over. I use about three tablespoons oil for about three bunches of kale. Sea salt is a classic flavor, but we have also tried curry powder with coconut oil for a change - yum! Place into the dehydrator at 105 for 6 -12 hours or until done.

Butternut Squash Chips
We have tried butternut squash and summer squash in the dehydrator using this recipe.
The butternut one are ...hmmm.... buttery and very rich. The summer squash was more mild and N especially liked them.

Onion Rings
I sliced up some onions and seasoned them and popped them in. Tested them along the way. They didn't come out crispy and the flavor got stronger. I liked them in soup and on salad and N really liked them and ate them from a bowl.

Apple Rings
The girls and I just made them and they are fun and taste great. Again 105 temp and put them in for about 12 hours.

Crackers
We've made crackers from vegetable pulp and those were ok (I made up the recipe and didn't use Em's!) and have also made these seed crackers using a blend of sunflower and pumpkin seeds since we don't use sesame here yet. They were great!

Crispy Seeds and Nuts
You must soak seeds and nuts before eating them to increase digestibility and decrease the anti-nutrients in seeds and nuts (google for phytates). Soaking and then dehydrating them makes the taste so great! We generally soak 12-24 hours, covered with spring water with a teaspoon or more of sea salt (depends on how big of a bowl of seeds or nuts), covered with a towel. Then drain and rinse well and dehydrate at 105 for 24 hours. The time it takes to make these, though hands off, surely makes one appreciate this snack. I give the seeds out in small portions. The nuts are for Chris.

Jerky
This is the snack - that's why I saved it way down here at the bottom - so you'll be sure to go make it! We followed this recipe but I suggest increasing both the sea salt and the seasonings. I don't mind flavor! However, the girls gobble, gobble, gobble it up. We used two pounds grass finished ground beef and used the seasonings in the recipe following her measurements (which are for three pounds of beef). I am sure this would also be great with turkey, but we want a higher fat content. I wonder how lamb would be?

There are recipes for using a roast, like this one, but I think the ground meat is easier to get to an even thickness.

Enjoy!