Thursday, July 24, 2008

Stackable fruit snacks


This is probably one of the simplest snacks ever. If you look a little closer, you can see. Instead of purchasing these Stackerz, I stacked my own fresh local fruit (apricots, cherries and blueberries).

Now, if you want something that resembles the processed product in texture, you can make your own real fruit roll-ups/fruit leather, using the recipe from the latest Raw Food Right Now e-newsletter. To subscribe, just enter your e-mail address in the top left corner of Heidi and Justin's website (www.rawfoodrightnow.blogspot.com, if you didn't catch it the first time).

Using real fruit to make raw fruit roll-ups is easy, like in this recipe. You can even get a little crazy trying out your own favorite flavor combinations. This would be a great way to get your kids involved in the process. I wonder if we can recreate blue raspberry?

As much as I enjoy pureeing and mixing fruits, I actually prefer dehydrating them just as they are. My hubby is a big apple chip fan, while I love Juliano's Swirled Bubble Gum (dehydrated strawberries, kiwis and/or mangoes swirled between your palms to check for doneness; according to Juliano, "if they hold their shape when rolled up, they're ready. Share!").

This time of year, I'm lucky if I can part with any of the fresh stuff long enough to prepare these chewy treats. But, if you find yourself with a little extra, these are excellent ways to preserve your local bounty.

By the way, is anyone else still sticking to the local challenge?

4 comments:

Everyday Superhero said...

Hi!
I've been reading your blog for the last few months. While I'm not completely raw I do eat raw for the better part of the day (dinner is usually my cooked meal). I love your blog and the yummy food you write about and photography.
Quick question...I own a dehydrator but haven't had the chance to really experiment with it. I've tried to make "chips" using sweet potatoes. After about 10 hours I turned the dehydrator off since the sweet potatoes were getting very small in size but weren't all that great. Any tips? I'm not sure if it's even possible to get them crisp.

shannonmarie said...

Hi. Thanks for the compliments.

It's been a while since I've made chips, since I don't use my dehydrator much this time of year. Therefore, I'm not positive as to how long I used to leave mine in there.

However, I can tell you that the best tips to getting them crisp include slicing them as thin as possible (it's best to use a spiral slicer that can do a ribbon cut) and going sparingly with the oil (use a spray bottle or lightly brush them with your oiled hands). As for flavor, make sure to add sea salt, some cayenne for a little kick and/or whatever seasoning you like best (apple cider vinegar is nice for mimicking salt and vinegar chips).

If you still don't like them, maybe you're just not a fan of raw potatoes. But, chips don't have to be potatoes. There are a ton of flax chip recipes on the Internet, and zucchini chips are very flavorful, too (you don't even have to dehydrate them if your just looking for a vehicle for your favorite dip).

I hope this helps. Good luck :-)

Everyday Superhero said...

There you go! I know what I did wrong. Way too much EVOO. I know better for next time. Thanks!

shannonmarie said...

No problem. My fingers are crossed that they'll come out better this time :-)