DEHYDRATOR
35
Fruit Leather
Crunchy Cantaloupe Leather
1 cup diced cantaloupe (about 1/3 small melon)
1
/
3
cup applesauce
2 Tbsp flaked coconut
3 Tbsp slivered almonds
Dash cinnamon
Puree diced cantaloupe. Combine with applesauce, flaked coconut, slivered
almonds and a dash of cinnamon. Pour onto two fruit leather sheets. Place on
two separate dehydrating trays, placing on alternate sides of the dehydrator.
Cherry-Rhubarb Leather
1 can (21 ounces), cherry pie filling
1 cup raw diced rhubarb
Combine cherry pie filling and rhubarb in saucepan. Simmer about 10 minutes
until rhubarb is tender. Cool. Puree mixture. Pour onto fruit leather sheets. Fills
five sheets. Place on separate dehydrating trays, placing on alternate sides of
the dehydrator.
Soups/Sauces
Vegetable Soup
½ cup dried sliced potatoes
¼ cup dried green beans
¼ cup dried sliced carrots
2 Tbsp dried chopped onion
4 cups water
5 dried tomato slices
3 Tbsp dried green peas
1 heaping Tbsp dried Okra, optional
1 Tbsp dried parsley
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Combine potatoes, green beans, carrots and onion with water in heavy pot.
Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 3 hours or overnight.
Simmer 30 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and additional water if needed.
Continue to cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add season-
ings. Simmer 10 minutes longer. Makes 5 cups.
Variations:
Minestrone:
Substitute ½ cup dried kidney beans, navy beans or chickpeas for potatoes.
Increase tomato slices to 10 and add ¼ cup dried sliced zucchini. Add ¼ cup
of shredded cabbage and ½ cup dried spinach. Add ½ tsp dried oregano to
remaining seasonings. Increase final cooking to 20 minutes or until vegetables
are tender. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper and ½ tsp worcester-
shire sauce. Makes about 7 cups.
Beef or Chicken Stew:
Prepare Vegetable Soup as directed, adding 2 cups cubed dried beef or chicken
to vegetables before soaking. Increase dried potatoes to 1½ cups. To thicken,
stir together 2 tbsp flour and ½ cup cold water. Pour into stew, stirring con-
stantly, until thickened. Cover. Simmer 5 minutes. Makes about 7 cups.
Pot Pie: Prepare Beef or Chicken Stew.
Pour into casserole dish. Prepare pastry dough for 8 inch pie. Roll to size of cas-
serole dish. Transfer to dish. Cut slits for steam to escape. Bake in 400°F oven for
30-35 minutes until browned and bubbly in center. Serves 6.
French Onion Soup
1 cup dried onion pieces
1 10 ½ oz can beef consommé
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups water
4 slices toasted bread
4 tsp Parmesan cheese
4 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese
In a large pan soak onions in beef consommé for 30 minutes. Gently cook over
medium heat for a few minutes until onions are soft. Strain onions, reserving
liquid in pan. Melt butter or margarine in a small frying pan, add onions, and
fry until onions are transparent, approximately 2-3 minutes. Stir in flour, salt
and pepper. Return onion mixture to large pan and add water. Stir and heat
through. Place toasted bread in oven proof bowls or individual casserole dish-
es. Pour soup over bread. Top each bowl with 1 tsp Parmesan cheese and a slice
of mozzarella or provolone cheese. Bake in oven at 400°F until cheese melts.
Serves 4.
Cream of Broccoli-Zucchini Soup
1 cup dried broccoli (break stems for easy measuring)
¼ cup dried shredded or sliced zucchini
2 Tbsp dried chopped onion
1½ cups boiling water
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup light cream
1 cup milk
½ tsp salt
1
/
8
tsp pepper
Add broccoli, zucchini and onion to boiling water. Cover. Let stand 1 hour. Sim-
mer 15 minutes. Combine undrained vegetables and chicken broth in blender.
Puree until smooth. Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour. Cook over medium heat
until bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in light cream and milk. Continue cooking,
stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add pureed mixture. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Serve hot. Makes 4 cups.
Variations
Low-Cal Broccoli-Zucchini Soup:
Prepare vegetable puree according to directions. Pour into saucepan. Add 1
cup milk. Combine 2 tsp flour with 2 Tbsp water, stirring until smooth. Stir into
soup. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Makes 3 cups.
Cream of Mushroom Soup:
Substitute ¾ cup dried mushrooms for broccoli and zucchini. Add 1- ½ cups
boiling water. Let stand 2 hours. Prepare according to Cream of Broccoli-Zuc-
chini Soup recipe (above).
Spaghetti Sauce
3 cloves fresh garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ - 1 tsp dried basil
1 lb hamburger
2 Tbsp dried bell pepper
3 Tbsp dried onion
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup dried tomato slices
¾ cup dried mushroom pieces
1 tsp salt
½ - 1 tsp pepper
½ tsp sugar
18 (eighteen) oz tomato paste
4 ½ cups water
2 stalks fresh celery, chopped
Paramesan cheese
Cooked spaghetti noodles
Chop garlic and place in skillet with olive oil, dried oregano, and dried basil.
Fry lightly. Add hamburger and cook until browned. Remove from heat. Add
dried bell pepper, onion, bay leaf, tomato slices, mushroom pieces, plus salt,
pepper and sugar. Stir in tomato paste and water. Let sit 2 to 3 hours. Cook over
medium heat until vegetables are tender, approximately 20-30 minutes. Add
chopped celery 10 minutes before serving. Serve over noodles and top with
Parmesan cheese. Serves 4-6.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
¼ cup dried pineapple pieces
¾ cup water
3 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup vinegar
¼ tsp dried ginger
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
Combine the first seven ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook until pineapple
softens. Place in blender and puree. Add cornstarch, and blend again. Return to
pan and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens.