February 21, 2010

serves 4 ~ $.62 per serving

ingredients

1 cup nuts (cashews) ($1.00)

2 ripe bananas ($.30)

juice of 1 lemon ($.69)

pinch of salt

1/2 cup water for blending, as needed

4 ounces blueberries, frozen and thawed ($.50)

whole blueberries

walnuts

agave

I was looking for ways to cut some of the fat in regular nut yogurt and decided to use ripe bananas and nuts in about equal amounts. This worked out wonderfully and as a bonus, eliminated the need for more sweetener.

A “fool” is basically a yogurt dish layered parfait style. Greek yogurt, which is very thick, is traditionally used. This yogurt isn’t that thick as I’ve made it here, but could easily be thickened by draining some of the liquid through cheesecloth. 

In a blender, puree the bananas until very smooth. Add the nuts (I used cashews) and lemon juice and about a half cup water for blending. Puree on high for several minutes, until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for at least a few hours. It will thicken quite a bit as it chills.

To make the “fool,” take half the yogurt and puree with a handful of blueberries. In each serving bowl, put a spoon of regular yogurt and another of blueberry yogurt, add a few whole blueberries to the top. Garnish with a couple chopped walnuts and a drizzle of agave, if desired.

 

serves 4 ~$1.15 per serving

ingredients

1 cup buckwheat, soaked ($.35)

1/2 cup flaxseed, ground ($.20)

1 ripe banana ($.15)

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

1/2 cup water

pinch of salt

8 tablespoons nut butter ($3.20)

4 ounces strawberries ($.50)

I’m really starting to enjoy buckwheat and have been experimenting with it in bread and cracker type things (you’ll have to get my e-book to see it all!). This is a simple, basic recipe for a crispy cracker like bread that goes well with nut butter and any fruit “jelly.”

Soak buckwheat overnight. Drain and rinse well. In a food processor, puree the ripe banana until liquid. Add in the buckwheat and process until fairly smooth. Cover the ground flaxseed with about an equal amount of water and let soak for about a half hour, until it forms the gel. Stir the soaked flaxseed, oil, and vanilla into the buckwheat and banana mixture. Incorporate well.

Spread about 1/8 inch thick on teflex sheets in the dehydrator. Dehydrate for about 2 hours on one side, then score in desired shapes and flip and dehydrate on the other side for a few hours or overnight.

Serve with a tablespoon of nut butter and some mashed fruit “jelly.”

 

 

 

serves 2 ~ $2.98 per serving

ingredients

1 head leaf lettuce ($.77)

10 ounces mushrooms, sliced ($2.19)

1 zucchini, sliced ($.66)

1 red bell pepper, sliced ($1.59)

1 medium onion, chopped ($.15)

2 tablespoons agave ($.20)

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar ($.20)

2 cloves garlic

 whole flaxseeds

This is a very hearty and filling salad. 

Mix the marinade, which is the olive oil, agave, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Slice and chop the mushrooms, zucchini, red bell pepper, and onion. For this recipe, I cut the zucchini into matchstick sized pieces. Toss with the marinade in a shakeable container (I just use a large ziplock box) and let sit for up to a couple hours. Place on teflex sheets and dehydrate for about an hour, just until warm and slightly softened.

Chop the lettuce and top with the warm veggies. Mix up just a bit more additional marinade to use as a dressing, if desired. Salt and pepper to taste, and top with a sprinkle of whole flaxseeds.   

 

makes 12 pieces ~ $.20 each

ingredients

1 cup walnuts ($1.00)

1/2 cup dehydrated apple slices, about 2 small apples ($.80) 

1/2 cup dehydrated banana slices, about 3 medium fresh ($.45)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla ($.15)

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

pinch of salt

coconut flakes for rolling

I wanted something fast and easy, but spicy and warm … and something other than chocolate! I’ll never bore of chocolate, but every once in a while it’s nice to change things around. 

This is so simple and takes about 5 minutes to make, not including the dehydrating time. Peel and slice the apples and bananas and dehydrate for several hours, or overnight. They should be leathery and pliable, not crisp.

In a food processor with an “S” blade, process the nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and pinch of salt. Pulse to start, then let process for a few minutes until the mixture starts to stick together. Scoop out using a tablespoon or other rounded scooper and roll into a ball shape. Press into coconut flakes.