August 8, 2010

For each serving, grate or slice one banana. If slicing, make long thin strips that look like noodles. I used the food processor with the grating plate. Less ripe works better in this case. A very ripe banana would be too mushy.

In a small cup, whisk together the oil, agave, and cacao or cocoa powder. Arrange the (sticky!) banana noodles on a plate and top with the chocolate sauce. Sprinkle with a few crushed walnuts.

12 ounces mushrooms ($2.69)
1 medium onion ($.25)
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.20)
1 tablespoon agave ($.20)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar ($.20)

1 ripe avocado ($1.49)
1 tomato ($1.00)
1 clove garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons olive oil ($.60)
1 1/2 cup water to process
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.20)

I started by marinating and then dehydrating the mushrooms and chopped onions. Mix together the olive oil, agave, and balsamic vinegar. Toss with the sliced mushrooms and chopped onions and spread out on a lined dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for about 2-3 hours.

Reserve a few mushrooms and onions for topping. In a blender, puree the remaining mushrooms and onions, avocado, tomato, garlic, and olive oil, adding about 1 1/2 cup water. Add as much water as necessary to make the right consistency. I made mine pretty thick and creamy.

Top with the reserved mushrooms and onions, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil.

I also made some flax and buckwheat crackers to go with the soup. These were really light and crispy, quite a lot like conventional crackers. I think it was the buckwheat that made them so light. It also makes them more difficult to turn on the dehydrator sheet, but they are quite good.

Flax Buckwheat Crackers
serves 6 ~ $.48 per serving

1/2 cup flax meal ($.25)
1/2 cup buckwheat ($.25)
1/2 cup whole flax seeds ($.20)
2 carrots ($.20)
1 red bell pepper ($.69)
2 medium onions, finely chopped ($.50)
3 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup oil ($.80)
1 cup water

Soak the buckwheat for at least 4 hours. Rinse several times. Do not dehydrate.

In the blender, puree the red bell pepper, carrots, and onion with 1 cup water. Add the buckwheat and blend until the buckwheat is chopped up but not totally pureed. Pour in a bowl and fold in the flax meal and whole flax seeds. Stir in the oil and spices.

Spread this out thinly on lined dehydrator sheets, about 1/8 of an inch thick. Oiling the sheet can make it a bit easier to turn these over. Also, using the back of an oiled spoon will help spread the cracker batter.

Dehydrate for about an hour, or until the top is just getting dry. Flip over and peel the sheet off. I found I had to turn these fairly early or they would get too dry and stick around the edges. But that may just be the kind of dehydrator I’m using.

Score the crackers into the desired shapes. I made triangular wedges.

Continue dehydrating until crisp, about 8-10 hours. Break apart.

total carb: 223 gr
total protein: 26 gr