Dehydration Recipes

Uses for a dehydrator are pretty much limited to your imagination (and, yes, a little bit of chemistry).  To get you started, below are a bunch of great recipes from the folks at Excalibur.

We’re also a big fan of Rachel Graville’s beef jerky recipes (Mexican lime, sweet and spicy, and black pepper), as published in Food and Wine.  We use her marinades as a starting point, and experiment.

Camper’s Favorite Chili
•    1 ¼ C. canned pinto beans
•    2 C. tomato sauce—homemade or commercial
•    12 Oz. dried pasta (such as elbow macaroni)
•    3 Whole jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
•    5 Oz. ground beef (optional)
•    ½ onion minced
•    Seasoning as desired
Brown ground beef and cook pasta until done. Combine all ingredients in large saucepan and heat to boiling. Season to taste. Spread on Paraflexx® covered dehydrator try and dehydrate at 155°F/68°C until dry approximately 5 hours. To rehydrate, cover with water, boil stirring occasionally and serve.   Serves 4

One Pot Spaghetti
Combine in 1 gallon freezer-weight zip lock bag:
•    1 C. dried mushroom pieces and/or slices
•    ¼ dried diced green bell pepper
•    3 T. dried onions
•    1 envelope dried spaghetti sauce (8 oz.)
•    ½ tsp. garlic powder
•    ½ tsp salt
•    3 C. thin spaghetti noodles
Boil 4 cups water in medium pot. Add mix. Cook stirring frequently, about 5 mins. If noodles stick add a little water. Remove from heat, cover, let stand 5 min. or until noodles are tender.   Serves 2-3

Camp Scrambled Eggs
•    3 eggs
•    1 T. water
•    ¼ tsp. black pepper
•    1/8 tsp. salt
Place all ingredients in bowl and beat very lightly until just blended. Add any of the following variations or implement any of your favorite ingredients:

Cheese mushroom:
•    6 fresh mushrooms sliced
•    ¾ C. any variety grated cheese

Herb:
•    3 sprigs parsley minced
•    ¼ C. onions chopped
•    1 tsp. any dried herbs

Spanish:
•    1 C. tomato sauce
•    1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, fresh or canned, seeded and minced

Blend together egg mixture and any of the variations. Place in skillet with 1 T. olive oil. Scramble until done. Place on Paraflexx® sheet and dehydrate at 155°F/68°C until dry. Approximately 5 hours. To rehydrate, cover with boiling water, stir occasionally and serve. If there is an excess of liquid pour it out.

Basic Jerky
•    3 to 4 lbs lean beef (cut into strips)
•    ½ cup tomato sauce base or catsup
•    ¼ cup soy sauce
•    ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
•    1 tsp onion powder or 2 tsp onion flakes
•    1 tsp garlic powder
•    ½ tsp cracked powder
•    ½ tsp hickory smoke flavoring or salt
Blend all ingredients and soak meat strips in mixture. Keep refrigerated 6 to 12 hours, stirring and turning meat occasionally in marinade. Once meat is marinated to desired strength, drain off marinade and dry.

Hawaiian Jerky
•    1 lb. lean meat cut 3/16” thick
•    1 tsp. salt
•    1 tsp. ground ginger
•    1 T. brown sugar
•    ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
•    1 crushed garlic clove
•    ¼ C. pineapple juice
•    ¼ C. soy sauce
In small glass bowl combine all ingredients except meat. Stir to mix well. Place meat 3-4 layers deep, spooning sauce over all layers. Cover tightly in refrigerator for 6-12 hours stirring occasionally. Take meat out of marinade and place on dehydrator trays. Dry at 155°F/68°C for 5-6 hours or until completely dry. Makes about ½ pound jerky.

Cranapple Leather
•    1 cup apples, chopped
•    ½ cup cranberries
•    Honey or sugar to taste
Puree apples in blender with a small amount of water. Add cranberries and sweetener if desired. Pour on Paraflexx®, kitchen parchment paper, or plastic wrap covered dehydrator trays and dry at 135°F/57°C until leathery.

Power Bars
•    3 C. rolled oats, barley or wheat
•    2 ½ C. powdered milk
•    ½ package citrus flavored gelatin (approx. 8 oz)
•    1 C. sugar
•    2 T. honey
•    3 T. water
Place rolled oats, powdered milk, and sugar in bowl. Add water to honey and bring to a boil; dissolve gelatin in honey and water mixture. Add dry ingredients. After mixing well add water a teaspoon at a time until barely most enough to be molded. Shape into bars. Dehydrate at 155°F/68°C until hard.

Nonnie’s Great Granola
•    4 cups rolled oats
•    ½ cup wheat germ
•    1 cup brown sugar or ½ cup honey
•    2 cups coconut
•    1 cup sesame seeds
•    1 cup almonds and walnuts, chopped
•    ½ cup wheat or soy flour
•    1 tsp vanilla
•    1 tsp cinnamon
•    1 cup oil
•    1 tsp salt
After dehydrating the above ingredients add:
•    1 cup raisins
•    ½ cup dates
•    ½ cup dried pineapple
•    ½ cup dried apples
(or any combination of dried fruits)
Mix the first group of ingredients together in a large bowl and spread onto Paraflexx®, kitchen parchment paper, or plastic wrap. Dehydrate at 155°F/68°C (approximately 3 hours) until crunchy. Add the second group of ingredients. Serve with milk or plain yogurt.