Solar Food Dehydrator

I love this photograph.

I don't have much to say about this one. James and Marvel did all of the work. I just sat, watched, and made juice. 

Below are plans for a solar food dehydrator. It is definitely not a permanent fix for all your dehydrating needs, and it will definitely fall apart if you leave it out in the rain, BUT it is good practice for when you build the real thing from wood. 

I bought a window screen for the screen part of the design, and then James tailored the box to fit around the screen. It's the perfect size, slightly larger than a baking sheet, which you can use to put all the veggies/fruits on. You still need to purchase some teflex sheets if you want to make sticky bars or fruit leathers.

The plans are pretty straightfoward. It is all about creating air flow, and trapping heat in the main box with the screen in it. We didn't make a top for our box, instead we use clear wrap so that more sunlight is let in.

For a better look at the plans, and some more information follow this link: http://www.i4at.org/surv/soldehyd.htm

Latest Addition

This picture has nothing to do with what I am posting about. I just had to throw it up here because my cat looks puurrrfect.

I've started a new blog. Don't worry! I'm not going anywhere, just expanding. My days of being completely raw have slowly dwindled down to nada, zip, zero. I started eating raw for a campaign of which I am the coordinator. The campaign is a fun, effective fundraising tool used by the non-profit I work for, At The Crossroads. At The Crossroads is a homeless youth outreach organization. We meet people at their point of need, and work with them to help build healthy and fulfilling lives on their own terms. If you want to learn more about ATC, please take 15 minutes to watch our documentary at www.atthecrossroads.org. 

The idea behind the campaign is that it's like a walk-a-thon, but a bit more interesting. Instead of getting people to sponsor you for walking, you pick any goal you want, and get the people you know to sponsor you by donating to ATC. To learn more about the campaign, visit our website: www.atthecrossroads.org/campaign/ .

For my campaign I chose to consume only raw foods, and as a result this blog was born! While I am not wholly committed to eating only raw, vegan food, I am endlessly grateful for having the opportunity to explore raw veganism, and will continue to produce raw vegan dishes. I am super excited to incorporate what I've learned about living foods into my dietary practice. 

So! keep checking back here for more beautifully crafted raw vegan dishes. Oh, and I'll be posting plans for a solar food dehydrator soon. In the meantime, check out my new blog, Katie Sue's Kitchen at http://katiesueskitchen.blogspot.com .

Blessings!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Or is it juice? I am calling it a smoothie because (unfortunately!) I don't own a juicer. When I told my mom I was interested in raw foodism, she told me she had a juicer. I was stoked, and got my g-d father to ship it out to me. When I opened the box I was semi-shocked. My mom had sent me a Vita Mixer from what I thought was 1984, but turned out to be early nineties. I was still excited, and thought 'hey, I can work with this.' I have. And well I would say.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Approximately 2 servings

10-12 strawberries

2 bananas

1-2 c. orange juice

1/8 c. ground flax seeds

enough filtered water to cover

Blend until smooth. Cheers!

Speaking of dessert...

We have these strips up all over my house. This one makes me laugh everytime.

My Oh PIe!

I am exhausted! To the point that I thought about not posting a recipe this weekend. I spent all day tearing up the remaining pieces of yard/plants/weeds in my landlord's yard and prepping/making beds for the spring garden. Here's a picture to prove it:

It's been a while since I've had a day full of manual labor! I guess it got me thinking about treating myself to something special....

As in mudslide pie! (That's the pie in the picture I posted first.) I've never been a pie girl. I've always blamed it on growing up in a family that seemed allergic to baking. I lived with a beautiful soul who loved to make pies, and I always believed it to be some incredible feat. Well, let me tell you. It is impossible to mess up this delicious dessert. Just try, and don't let any excuses get in your way. Again, this was something that I took to a staff lunch, and most of my co-workers were amazed that something raw could taste so darn good.

Mudslide Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

For the crust:

1 1/2 c. coconut flakes

3/4-1 c. almonds

1 1/2 oz. cacao powder

3/4 c. well-packed, finely chopped dates

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

For the white chocolate filling:

1 1/4 c. coconut milk ***

1 1/4 c. cashews, soaked for 8 hours and drained

1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. agave nectar

2 tbsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. soy lecithin (found at any health food/natural grocery store, look for non-gmo)

1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. cacao butter***

***Coconut Milk: You can either buy the stuff in the can (not as fresh) or purchase a young thai coconut from any asian market. To make milk: Blend water (translucent liquid) with the coconut meat. Be careful when prying the top off. (I have a large scar on my pinky finger from not being careful!!) Use a large, sharp cleaver or heavy chef's knife. Hold the coconut against a flat surface with the point facing up. With one large swing, bring down the cleaver or chef's knife about 1 1/2 inch from the top point. Move around the point and continue the same motion, creating a "lid" that you can pry off the coconut.

***Cacao butter is really expensive. When I can't afford it, I throw in 1 1/4 c. +1 tbsp. coconut butter (bought from the bulk section at my local health food store) and about 2 tbsp. extra cocoa powder.

For the almond butter filling:

1/3 c. raw almond butter

1 1/4 c. white chocolate filling

For the chocolate filling:

1/4 c. almond milk***

2 tbsp. agave nectar

1 1/2 tbsp. cacao powder

1 tbsp. vanilla

Small pinch of salt

1 tsp. soy lecithin

2 tbsp. raw cacao butter

***Almond milk: Blend soaked almonds and water until smooth, milk consistency. Use a 1:3 ratio. For every 1 c. soaked almonds, use 3 c. water. (Remember to soak your almonds for 8 hours.)

To make the crust:

To the bowl of your food processor fitted with the 's' blade, process coconut flakes, almonds, cacao powder, vanilla, and salt until small and crumbly. Continue processing while adding small amounts of the dates until the crust sticks together. (I had to use more dates than the recipe called for to get the crust to stick together. Finely chop a few extra than the recipe calls for to be prepared.) Grease a 9-inch pie pan with unscented coconut butter and press the process ingredients into the pan, forming the crust.

To make the white chocolate and almond butter fillings:

Blend all the white chocolate filling ingredients except lecithin and cacao butter until smooth. Add cacao butter and lecithin, blending until well mixed. Leave a little less than 1 1/4 c. of this mixture in your blender. Set the other portion in your fridge. Add the almond butter to the blender, blend until smooth, and refrigerate this portion as well.

To make the chocolate filling:

Blend all the ingredients except the lecithin and cacao butter until smooth. Add the lecithin and cacao butter until well mixed. Set in fridge.

Swirling the fillings together:

You want all three fillings to be set to a consistency similar to pancake batter. Spoon the fillings into the prepared crust. Do this in layers, alternating each filling. Stick in a chopstick and twirl it around to get a neat marble effect.

Set in the freezer for 30-40 minutes, and then serve immediately. I was taking mine to work the following day, so I let it sit in the freezer overnight.

This is a must try raw dessert! Bon appetit!