homemade apple pie tea

Happy Friday! One of the best days of the week. Work is over and there is a full weekend of exciting activities to do.

After a lovely afternoon walk with my sister, I sat down and brewed up a cup of this herbal tea.

Tea something that I have been wanting to make for a while now.

When it comes to what I would put in it, well, there were some apples and pears in the refrigerator and what goes better with apples than cinnamon. Then finally from some recent baking, I had a few left over vanilla beans that I had put aside for this very purpose.

When I first gave it to Joel to try, he said 'wow, it takes just like a McDonalds apple pie'. I just laughed and told him this is as close as he'll get.

Ingredients

1 apple, finely diced

1 pear, finely diced

2 tsp cinnamon sugar

2 vanilla bean skins

optional: brown rice syrup

Optional: Dip vanilla beans in brown rice syrup and drain of any excess liquid.

Finely slice the vanilla beans and toss with the remainder of the ingredients.

Spread out on a dehydrator tray and set to 40C.

Run the dehydrator for 12 hours or until there is no more moisture in the apple bits.

Store in an airtight container and use as you would herbal tea.

raw kale chips

Productive weekends are the best, and that is exactly what this last one was for us.

We spent the weekend spring cleaning, tidying and sorting. I'm on top of the housework after vacuuming and dusting, washing and hanging, folding and ironing - it feels great. On top of all that we were able to spend heaps of time outside as the weather was stunningly perfect. Lots of walks, sun soaking and getting on top of some much needed garden work. The spring/summer garden is finally planted, and I'm really looking forward to impending crops - impatient much!?

I love that feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction from a wholesome weekend. And what's more, we have been fuelling our bodies with these delicious raw kale chips.

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale, wash and roughly torn

1 tsp paprika

1 tblsp olive oil

pinch or two of salt

Toss all ingredients in a medium bowl.

Arrange on dehydrator trays and turn on to 40 C.

Dehydrate for 12 hours or overnight.

Store in an airtight container for as long as they last. 

spiced apple and pear roll-ups

I know, I know, I’ve been a little silent on here. But for good reason as we have been at the snow for the past week.

It was amazing; fresh powder, super drop offs and jumps, absolutely worth the aches and pains. On top of that, it was just so nice to have a holiday with Joel again, even if it wasn’t restful, it is just so nice to be active and creating new memories together.

 

Our time on the slopes was exceptional, however our car started playing up pretty early on in the week and we ended up losing all our radiator fluid in 20mins intervals. We took it to a mechanic who said that the job would take him 8-12 hours to pull the engine apart and find the root of the issue*. As we didn’t have time for this, we decided to keep chugging along with a massive drum of coolant and water in the back of the car for top-ups. Our major stress was always going to be the drive home.

We left the snow at 4pm and made it home by midnight – not a bad effort for a 6.5 hour drive, stopping every 10-20 mins.

*Not to mention the car had been in the shop for 2 months right before we left for the snow. Our timing belt went and we had to replace the engine.

I haven’t had time to really document a new recipe amidst the car issues, washing, unpacking, shopping and work. So I’ve decided to post this snack which I made before we left for the snow.

We had a heap of pears and apples to use up in the refrigerator and what better way to use them all up than making roll-ups. A healthy, easy-pack energy hit for the hill.

Ingredients

(makes 24)

5 large apples (mixed red & green)

5 large pears

1 tsp cinnamon

Roughly chop the apples and pears and place them in a heavy based saucepan with an inch of water.

Simmer until soft, remove from heat and cool.

Add cinnamon, and softened fruit to a blender and whiz until smooth.

Scoop out and spread evenly (1/2 cm thick) on dehydrator trays – approx. 4 trays.

If you don’t have heaps of Teleflex sheets (like me), line the trays with baking paper.

Dehydrate on 40 degrees for 15-20 hours.

While still warm, slice each sheet into 6 portions and roll tightly.

Store in an airtight container for a week or 2.

I was totally having too much fun to take many pictures, so there's a few iPhone shots.

Early morning drive down to the snow, 4am start.

First day up, just stunning.

Joel always looks confused when taking photos.

We had a blizzard day; the most dangerous drive ever. I was just like bumper cars, we luckily came away unscathed.

Yeah, snow!

walnut, chia and rhubarb cookies

I’ve been utilising the dehydrator a bit more lately, can you tell?

This time is a fruity healthy cookie cracker. Gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegan, no added sugar, low-gi, mostly raw.. they are the perfect on-the-go snack.

Joel says they are more like fruit crackers than cookies. But I think he had greasy, buttery cookies on his mind when I produced these for him to try.

His verdict: they are really tasty, but you spend the next couple of minutes picking chia seeds out of your teeth.

I know this would bother him, because, Joel is a minimal effort kind of guy when it comes to food. He won’t eat muesli because it takes too long to chew. Yep, he is a different sort.

These ‘cookies’ (and I use the term loosely) are an impromptu idea I had to use up a bunch of rhubarb that was sitting in the refrigerator.

What?! Use up rhubarb! Like it is some kind of space waster.

It is not like that at all. Honest.

I love rhubarb, but because we are leaving in a couple of days for the snow (for a week) and I couldn’t justify baking it into something that would not keep – or that doesn’t travel well.

Alas! Dehydration.

Ingredients

(makes 20+)

1/4 c chia seeds

1 1/2 c water

1 bunch rhubard, chopped into inch long lengths

1 tblsp water

1 c walnuts, soaked for 12 hours and drained

2 bananas, mashed

1 tsp cinnamon, ground

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix chia seeds and water and set aside for 20 mins so the seeds can activate.

Next, place rhubarb and water in a small pot and heat until the fruit is soft.

Remove from heat and cool.

Empty walnuts into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

Next add the bananas, cinnamon, vanilla and rhubarb to the walnut mixture and process until well combined.

Then, gently fold through the chia seeds.

Line dehydrating trays with parchment or teleflex sheets.

Place a cookie cutter on the tray and spoon in 2 tblsp sized portions - or whatever will fit.

Gently remove the cookie cutter and repeat until the mixture is all used up.

Dehydrate on 40 C for 20 hours.

activated vanilla walnuts

I love productive days.

My hours at work have gone back to normal, which means I was finally able to get on top of the house work. I'm not one to feel comfortable if there are lingering jobs waiting to be done.

But, now, I am at ease.

Tidying, sorting, washing, cleaning, ironing etc - all done! I've got the incense burning, fresh bunch of lilies from the garden and the fire on full blaze.

Not only all that, but I was able to catch a movie with my best friend (whom I love dearly).

So, after a busy day, it's time for a well deserved snack.

I've had these walnuts on to dehydrate for 24 hours, so now is as good a time as any to dig in.

Walnuts are super high in Vitamin E which has been found to significantly protect against heart problems. Also high in calcium, manganese, omega 3, copper, potassium and magnesium; walnuts provide so much of the good anti-oxidants that our bodies thrive on.

To properly engage these nutrients, I have activated these walnuts by first soaking them in water for 12 hours. This enables the nut to come alive again - literally. The enzymes in the nut start to break down as if it were about to grow. In doing this, your body is absorbing pure live nutrients rather than trying to break down the tough nut first. What better way to nourish your body than with living foods.

Even though they have been dehydrated, they are still activated as they have not been dried out too much to become dormant again.

Ingredients

(makes 3 cups)

3 c raw walnuts, soaked for 12 hours

2 tblsp malt extract

2 tsp vanilla extract

Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Lay out on dehydrator trays and place on 40 C setting (level II for me).

Dehydrate for 24 hours.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

lemon myrtle and poppy seed cracker: raw

Last winter we would be out on the property every weekend, chopping, collecting and stacking firewood for the week ahead. We have been lazy this winter and used my father’s contact for bulk fire wood.

Sadly, this contact has now fizzled out and our wood pile has slowly dwindled to nothing.

So, we loaded into our run-around car and up the hill we went. Joel chainsaw’ed and I followed him around loading the car full of logs. Then when we got back to the house, we unloaded and Joel chopped it all while I stacked. We make a good team!

I love my lumberjack man.

It’s been forever since I’ve posted a dehydrated recipe. It still runs regularly with fruits, crackers or dog treats.

So I thought I would share my latest cracker recipe with you. It’s delightfully fresh with the hints of lemon and pepper, perfectly wonderful on their own or alongside a tasty dip.

I had the crackers run over night so they would be ready by the next day. After our wood collecting efforts we munched a few down, nourishing our bodies with the super healthy benefits of the chia and cashews.

Ingredients

(makes 3 trays worth or 40 crackers)

1/2 c black chia seeds

1 1/2 c water

1 1/2 c raw cashews, soaked for 12 hours

1 tblsp poppy seeds

1 tsp lemon myrtle

1 lemon, juiced

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine chia seeds and water and set aside for 30mins to activate seeds.

Place drained cashews in a food processor and whiz until smooth.

Stir poppy seeds, lemon myrtle, juice, salt and pepper into the cashew mixture.

Next, slowly fold through the chia seeds until well combined.

Spread mixture onto dehydrator trays.

Tip: I don't have many teleflex sheets, so I find it useful to line the trays with baking paper.

Dehydrate on whatever setting you would use for fruit (level 2 for me), for 5 hours.

Then score the crackers to whatever size you would like.

Dehydrate for a further 10 hours.

dehydrated fruit salad

The newest toy in my kitchen is the dehydrator.

I've only had it for a couple of months now, but I'm having fun experimenting with raw treats.

This post isn't really a recipe, just me sharing with you the dehydration of fruit.

I splashed out to get this because I wanted to be able to take healthy snacks and meals with us when we go hiking and camping.

Also, with the whole 'raw foods' movement - dehydration still keeps foods raw, but with that cooked feel.

If you are planning on getting a dehydrator, let me just say - it's not a quick process.

Dehydrating anything can take up to a day or two, depending on the water content of the item.

So if you are planning meals ahead - it's brilliant.

Most weekends I run the dehydrator mainly because we're barely home.

We live in an open barn and even though the machine isn't too loud, it still is a constant fan noise.

The best thing is, you can just leave the dehydrator on all day and night and not worry about the foods burning.

After coming home from the markets, I slice up a heap of fruit (about 2 cm thick) and arrange them in a single layer on the drying racks and dehydrate on the fruit setting.

This fruit salad consists of pineapple, kiwi fruit, papaw and plums.

Each fruit takes a unique drying time.

I've noticed that the kiwi fruit and plums dried in a similar time, 14 hours. 

While the papaw and pineapple took about 18 hours.

Let me know if you have a dehydrator and what you use it for.

xo