Going Vegetarian

[Artemis@BC]

^ My favourite things in the dehydrator are kale chips, various veggie "leathers" that can be used as wrappers, kale chips, mushroom patties, and kale chips.

Did I mention kale chips? Seriously, just about my favourite food ever.

I don't eat raw all the time but I go through binges, and during those times my dehydrator is running just about 24/7.

Lotsa raw recipes here:
http://vegweb.com/index.php?board=154.0
http://fullynourished.ca/recipes/

[LastEmpress]

Artemis, I am just about hooked on kale chips! I don't have a dehydrator so I bake mine with some olive oil and Greek seasoning, and they are delicious.

I never thought about making mushroom patties before. Maybe I'll look into a dehydrator, that sounds like a good (and yummy) idea.

[Angelskates]

I had to look kale up on google

Do you have a recipe?

(I can't get nutritional yeast here, so it needs to be one without that!)

[BittyBug]

I was intrigued myself so I looked on the vegweb link that Artemis provided and found this recipe for the kale chips:

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=36831.0

[Artemis@BC]

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can make kale chips in a regular oven (or even better, convection). Set the temp at about 250 and prop the door open. Watch carefully as they can go from crisp to burnt in about 10 seconds flat. I find it takes about 15 minutes in an oven. The flavour isn't quite as good, since they do actually cook a little bit rather than just dehydrating, but it's very close and of course not a lot of people want to invest in a proper variable temp dehydrator.

I have made that same vegweb recipe, but usually I go for a much simpler seasoning combo. Most often I'll use fresh lemon juice, sesame oil, a little sea salt, and nutritional yeast flakes. Another fave combo is lime juice, chipotle, and garlic.

[Cherub721]

What temperature do you use to dehydrate the kale, and how long do you do it? I once did it overnight at a low setting (don't remember specifically), and they turned out so nasty and mealy.

[Angelskates]

I got my order from the local organic farm yesteday! Fresh beetroot and the hugest bunch of dill, most of which I've dehydrated so it won't get wasted. The farm sends 4kgs and although you can request from the weekly products, there's no guarantee you'll get it. I didn't get fennel

Artemis, is there a substitute for nutritional yeast? Can I have your mushroom patty recipe, please?

[Artemis@BC]

@ Angelskates, you can use finely grated parmesan instead of nutritional yeast if you're not vegan. Or just omit altogether and use a bit more salt. The fun part of kale chips, though, is experimenting with your own flavour combos.

The mushroom patty recipe I have is from a hard copy cookbook so I don't have it electronically. I will type it out for you, though, but it won't be for a week or two as I'm about to go on holiday (see my New York thread!! )

@ Cherub721, use the lowest temp on the dehydrator, 110 or 115 (F). Put the kale directly on the screens, not on the teflex sheets (tho maybe an empty teflex rack on the very bottom to catch any drips). Unlike a lot of dehydrator recipes, kale chips shouldn't take more than about 3 hours.

[Angelskates]

I just found out the "dill" is actually fennel leaves! I really wanted the fennel bulb I've dried a lot of the leaves (thinking it was dill) and will still use it in dressings I guess...

[michiruwater]

Is nutritional yeast actually good?...

[Angelskates]

What can I use instead of teflex on my dehydrator to make them?

I have this round one.

[Artemis@BC]

What can I use instead of teflex on my dehydrator to make them? I have this round one.

You shouldn't need anything extra. That type of dehydrator tends to be considered not as good by serious raw foodies because it doesn't have a variable temperature; this type is considered superior. But for kale chips and other less complicated recipes, your dehydrator should be just fine.

Is nutritional yeast actually good?...

It's awesome. I use it all the time in soups & stews to add a hearty flavour (as well as the nutrition of course), plus it tastes salty without the salt. It's also good as a popcorn seasoning.

[reese]

You absolutely have to get nutritional yeast! I live in Manhattan but I still order mine from Amazon.com! I can't believe I lived so many years without it.

[Angelskates]

Artemis, my dehydrator does have a variable temperature control, but that's not what I'm asking. What can I use instead of reflex when making things likes fruit roll ups/leathers so they are easy to turn and th mixture doesn't fall between the holes?

[Artemis@BC]

Artemis, my dehydrator does have a variable temperature control, but that's not what I'm asking. What can I use instead of reflex when making things likes fruit roll ups/leathers so they are easy to turn and th mixture doesn't fall between the holes?

Um ... I guess you could buy some teflex sheets and cut them to fit. Here's one source but there might be another that's more convient for you.

Or perhaps parchment paper would work just as well. I've never used that kind of dehydrator so I'm not really sure.

[CynicElle]

Another yay for nutritional yeast; I got my first shaker this week and I'm definitely a fan now.

I made this recipe tonight; it's labor-intensive and I wouldn't do it on a weeknight, but it's really good:

http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/...Id=40&catId=10

I cut the salt way down after seeing a bunch of complaints about the original recipe being too salty in the comment section. It isn't exactly cheesy, but the sauce is still delicious; my cheese fan husband went back for seconds with no complaints. I might try tossing some nutritional yeast into the sauce for the next batch I make.

[reese]

Another yay for nutritional yeast; I got my first shaker this week and I'm definitely a fan now.

I made this recipe tonight; it's labor-intensive and I wouldn't do it on a weeknight, but it's really good:

http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/...Id=40&catId=10

I cut the salt way down after seeing a bunch of complaints about the original recipe being too salty in the comment section. It isn't exactly cheesy, but the sauce is still delicious; my cheese fan husband went back for seconds with no complaints. I might try tossing some nutritional yeast into the sauce for the next batch I make.

So funny! I just made this recipe about 2 weeks ago for the first time. I stupidly didn't read all the comments beforehand, so I didn't take out the salt and it was seriously too salty. Definitely toss in some nutritional yeast though! Even with the extra salt, it was still a great dish. I had it in my fridge for over a week and several of my (omnivore) friends tried it and loved it.

This recipe is very similar: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8295.0 (Also too salty as written.) Fewer ingredients as well.

[Angelskates]

My organic farm order this week has kale Artemis - can you tell me the temp and time for the kale chips (preferably in Celsius!) I am going with your simple ones first

[Angelskates]

It's been three weeks now and I'm feeling almost exactly the same despite not eating meat. A few extra dizzy spells and some pins and needles that mayor may not be related. I haven't had any meat cravings, which doesn't surprise me. I have kale chips in the dehydrator as I type - I put sesame oil, fresh lemon juice, rock salt and freshly grated parmesan cheese. I've lost 2.4kgs since being off (almost all) my medications.

I'm making more of an effort with food - I've pickled the fresh organic beetroot and the organic red cabbage (separately ) - bummer that I have to wait a week to try it! I have been experimenting in the kitchen a lot. I think I got lazy when I went back to meat and I'm trying to undo that.

[heckles]

Another yay for nutritional yeast; I got my first shaker this week and I'm definitely a fan now.

I made this recipe tonight; it's labor-intensive and I wouldn't do it on a weeknight, but it's really good:

[URL=http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=40&catId=10[/URL]

If you like that you'd probably like "Mac and Yease" as it's nicknamed.

http://veganyumyum.com/2007/10/mac-a...-cheeze-yeast/