Carrot Chips or Carrot Wafers

This is a dehydrator recipe and I'm not certain if it can be done in the oven.

Equipment needed:
Vita-Mix with the dry container or Food Processor, Vegetable Peeler, Cutting Board, Knife, 1 cup Measuring Cup, 1/4 tsp Measuring Spoon, 1 tbl Measuring Spoon, and Dehydrator

Ingredients
1 cup coconut water
2 tbls chia seeds
4 carrots
1/4 tsp salt

Peel, rinse, and chop carrots into ~1" pieces - just to make them easier to blend. Put those in the Vita-Mix dry container. Add the coconut water, chia seeds, and salt. Blend very well.

I actually started with the coconut water and chia seeds, then added the carrots one at a time, blending in between each, to be sure of the number I wanted to put in there. When the blending became harder to do and the mixture was somewhat thick, I stopped adding carrots.

Because I wasn't sure how this would turn out, I did the next step two different ways.

1. Pour mixture into rectangular candy molds, filling each between 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the top. Once done dehydrating, these will be fairly thin. Shake gently to settle into flat shapes. This "filled" 24 molds.

2. Pour remaining mixture in the middle of a pendaflex/silicone sheet that fits your dehydrator. Spread out towards the edges, then shake gently to settle into flat shape. You may need to nudge it back a little from the edge. This created a semi-square 13"x13" shape.

Dehydrate at 125 degrees for about 10 hours. If you don't sleep through the middle of this time, you can try flipping them halfway through to get the color roughly the same on each side. I made these at night and pulled them as is in the morning.

If you're a raw purist, drop the temperature to 105 degrees or less and dehydrate longer.

The first way made rectangular chips about 1/8" thick. Some broke in two coming out of the mold. Some had holes in the middle. It's entirely possible that filling the molds to the top would have prevented that, but the chips would also be a bit thicker.

The second made a beautiful, very thin wafer (with some holes.) Interestingly, my wife who prefers crackers liked the chips, and I - the cupcake monster - preferred the wafer. It reminded me very strongly of the Italian pizelles our downstairs neighbor used to make starting at 4 in the morning. Ah the culinary memories...

Dog Food - Renal Care, Not Vegetarian

We tried a new renal diet for our eldest dog and the results were underwhelming. His blood work showed no improvement, and he needed his anal glands expressed for the first time in his 14+ years of life. That renal diet contained so much rice - it was listed as dry weight so the actual amount in the food once it was cooked was even more. We've gotten his stool back to normal and hopefully that means his glands will be fine.

He's on lamb, and we found out that boiling lamb removes some of the phosphorous. The old thinking was lower the protein. The new thinking is get a better balance between calcium and phosphorous and maybe lower the protein.

Disclaimer: We're not veterinarians nor nutritionists. We also have not had him on this diet long enough to see how well it does for his kidneys. I'll report back once we get there.

We start with the Honest Kitchen Preference base. For 1 day of food for a roughly 15 pound dog, we add 6 oz of boiling water to 1.8 ounces of HK Preference. Allow that to absorb the water for at least 3 minutes. Add 2.5 ounces of the boiled lamb (more on that below). We feed him 3-4 times a day, 2 main meals and 1-2 snacks. He was having some issues with his stomach being too empty prior to getting breakfast, so he definitely gets a snack right before bed.

For the 2 main meals, he also gets 1/4 tsp psyllium, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salmon oil, and 1/4 pill of InflamAway HA which is a glucosamine/chondroitin with extra anti-inflammatory herbs.

For the boiled lamb, we get 2 pounds of ground lamb from the grocery store. That's roughly a 1 week supply of meat for him.

Take a small stock pot and fill it halfway with water. Roll the lamb into meatballs about 1/2" to 3/4" in diameter. They will shrink some. Put them in the water one at a time. Having the water in the pot will help them not stick together. Bring the water to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to break up what forms on top and unstick any meatballs at the bottom. Lower heat as needed to maintain the rolling boil without boiling over. Boil for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse.

He likes this well enough though he has trained us to add some treat sprinkles on top sometimes. Once he gets started, he finishes his meal.

Pasta Salad Dressing

I made a bunch of quinoa pasta and some Bacon-ish Bits this weekend, and my wonderful wife cut up carrots, zucchini, and celery. The pasta got a coating of pesto to help it not clump together (which it still does but not quite as badly) before going into the fridge.

Throwing together all of these great ingredients called out for a creamier topping to make it a more cohesive pasta salad. It helps that our two avocados were showing signs of "eat me now!"

Equipment needed:
1 Large Bowl, 1 Spoon or Fork, 1 Cutting Board, 1 Knife, 1/4 cup Measuring Cup

2 Avocados
1 Lemon ice cube (previously squeezed and frozen in ice cube trays)
1/4 cup (or less) Pesto (we get dairy-free pesto - read below for other ideas and a nut-free option)
Salt to taste

Cut and peel the avocados, put those in the bowl. Add pesto and lemon cube. Stir until creamy and lemon cube has melted. You may want to add the pesto in stages to achieve the desired consistency. Salt as needed, or add whatever spices take your fancy.

The amount of pesto will change both the texture and the taste. This can also be used as a salad dressing with you controlling the consistency.

If you don't have a dairy-free pesto available, you can make your own, or add what's missing to the above individually.

So, say you decide you want a spinach pesto to go with your avocado for a pasta salad dressing. I recommend using a blender and putting in:

Avocado, spinach, onion, garlic, pepper, pine nuts or walnuts (optional), lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. The other main ingredient is olive oil. Since the avocado could take the place of an oil, you can add olive oil as needed for texture. Optionally or in addition to, you can add vinegar for some tang in your dressing. (Future recipe posted here? Quite possibly)

Bacon-ish Bits

For use as a salad or pasta topper, or as a snack

Equipment needed:
1/2 cup measuring cup, covered bowl, baking dish with sides (9"x13" or thereabouts), spatula or spoon, oven, optional strainer

In the bowl:

12 oz raw, shelled, unsalted Sunflower Seeds
1 cup low (or reduced) sodium Tamari
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Tamari is a wheat-free version of soy sauce. If you're avoiding soy but not sulfites, use 1 1/2 cups of balsamic vinegar as the liquid. Or use whatever marinade you like.

Either stir the contents of the bowl with a spoon or cover and shake them. Be sure no seeds are stuck above the liquid. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours - overnight might be best.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees

Rough strain the liquid - this can be done by holding the lid against the top of the bowl but not quite sealed so the liquid can drain out or by using a strainer. You don't have to get it all, just most. Pour the remaining contents into the baking dish.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nut Meat Sliders

I was experimenting with a pasta topper when I found that equal parts of walnuts (earthy), almonds (sweet), and cashews (sweet) made a great combination flavor. On their own, the mixture is quite dry though.

The first time around for this particular recipe, I added an equal amount of pine nuts. What they basically add is oil, and an equal amount was far too much oil.

If you can't do nuts, substitute sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. I'll post a recipe using those another time that will have a different slant on this.

I'm not certain at this point if the spices play that big of a role just yet. The thyme, basil, and oregano below are optional. The onion is required for it's moisture content as well as flavor. If you prefer a spicier flavor, try a hotter onion.

Equipment Needed: 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, 1 teaspoon, food processor or Vita-Mix with the dry container, large mixing bowl, large spoon, small spoon, candy molds, cookie sheet (frying this as ground meat or burgers is also an option - more on that at the end)


1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 small red onion
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup chia seeds
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil

Blend in the Vita-Mix or food processor, and refrigerate for ~4 hours.

Grind the following in the food processor or Vita-Mix. Coarse ground is fine. You might notice a few pieces of nuts that don't get ground and that's okay.

1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup walnuts
1 cup cashews
1 cup almonds or almond meal

Place ground nuts in the mixing bowl. Add the refrigerated mixture. Mix well with the large spoon or whatever works best for you.

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees to pre-heat while finishing. Spread thin layer of olive oil inside rectangular candy molds. Using the small spoon, fill the molds and tamp down. Fills ~40 molds.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Now this part can be tricky and is optional: Flip the molds onto a cookie sheet and remove the molds. When flipping, some of the molds may empty prematurely. This can cause the sliders to not land on the cookie sheets, or to only stay there momentarily before they slide off the side. If you choose to leave them in the molds, that's fine.

Bake for 30 minutes.


Baking in candy molds creates a finger food that can be dipped in a sauce or covered in your favorite condiment. The longer they bake, the more dry they'll get. The candy molds can be plain, or you can get the ones that are particular shapes like flowers, stars, dinosaurs, etc. (Thanks for that idea, Jane!)

If you decide not to bake this and instead make ground 'meat', it's a sticky recipe and will mold to whatever shape you like. I used olive oil in a cast iron pan to fry this as a ground pasta topping. I haven't tried to cook it as a burger yet. That's the next experiment.

Recipe Cheats - Beans

There is a balance between time, effort, and money in my recipes. Sometimes - to save time - I will use a 'cheat' that has already been prepared. There may be cheaper options that require more work and/or time.

Beans -
In the can or in an aseptic pack saves time. These have added salt.
Buying dry beans and cooking them ahead of time saves money. The salt content is under your control.

Lentils can be used instead of the beans. They are generally easier and less time-consuming to cook.

Bean and/or Avocado Dip

This is a mix and match recipe with many possible combinations. It can be hummus. It can be guacamole. It can be neither and both of those.

Fair warning, I'm not fond of tahini and am overly fond of garlic.

Equipment needed: Food processor or Vita-Mix with the dry container, knife, cutting board, bowl or cup to hold liquid, can opener or scissors, optional lemon squeezer

Basic Recipe:
1 can or aseptic pack of beans (aseptic pack will probably have less beans than the can)
3 cloves of garlic
Spices - your choice

Drain the beans, but keep the liquid handy. Peel the garlic. Put the beans, the garlic, and your spices into the food processor or Vita-Mix. Blend. Add some of the saved liquid until you reach the desired consistency. You might need to stop occasionally and shove everything down towards the blades. The Vita-Mix has a nice tamper to help with that, and you don't have to stop blending to use it.

Options:
Add onions
Squeeze a lemon into it
Add tahini - sparingly because it's a strong flavor
Use an avocado instead of the beans
Add an avocado to the beans

If this sits in your refrigerator for a day, the garlic flavor will be stronger.

On the other side of this equation can be chips, sliced cucumbers, baby carrots, celery, assorted raw vegetables, whatever you fancy.