what's cookin'? :)

CeleryStalker

Because I was busy with the family on Father's Day, I didn't get a chance to prep for the week. Usually, that would leave me in a pickle, a perfect storm to eat whatever I felt like eating all week, but not THIS week! I'm making positive changes in my life and by golly, if I say I'm going to prep stuff for the week, I'm going to do it!

My super awesome soon to be mother in law gave me three HUGE bags of zucchini and yellow squash yesterday. I've been wanting to try my hand at making zucchini chips, so I pulled out the ol' American Harvest food dehydrator and got to work. I've got four trays going right now, and here's how they've been prepared:

Top tray: Light brushing of EVOO and a family recipe all purpose seasoning
Second tray: light brushing of EVOO and Old Bay seasoning
Third tray: light brushing of EVOO and sea salt
Fourth tray: I mixed some EVOO and apple cider vinegar together, brushed it on the chips, and sprinkled a light dusting of sea salt

I'm dehydrating at 135 degrees and will check on them hourly to see how things are going. I want to have nicely dehydrated chips that will give an equally nice presentation, not some shriveled up, ugly slices. I hope to attain this

I've also got one tray going in the oven. My oven only goes down to 170 degrees, so that's what I've got it set at. I read somewhere that it's a good idea to leave the oven door cracked to aid in the dehydrating process, so the moisture doesn't recirculate back into the chips, so I've got the door cracked. These chips were prepped as such:

Parchment paper on tray
Paper sprayed with EVOO
Zucchini slices lightly brushed with a mixture of avocado oil and red wine vinegar and sprinkled with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

I'll be keeping an eye on these bad boys as well. I will flip the chips in both the dehydrator and oven if it looks necessary, and I'll post pics and final cook times when they're all done!



I'm also going to make a zucchini bread for the inlaws. And maybe some zucchini brownies. But shhh, don't tell the kids there's veggies in there!

morganadk2_deleted

bump

ElizabethRN59

bump

Mkmassey3

I can't wait to see pics! I have never even thought to do this. How often do you use your dehydrator? Wondering if it is a good investment. The zucc chips sound amazing! Enjoy! I have a mock apple pie recipe that uses zucchini...you would never know that it wasn't apples.

CeleryStalker

I can't wait to see pics! I have never even thought to do this. How often do you use your dehydrator? Wondering if it is a good investment. The zucc chips sound amazing! Enjoy! I have a mock apple pie recipe that uses zucchini...you would never know that it wasn't apples.

They aren't expensive at all, so I'd say it's worth the investment. I seem to go through phases where I use mine nonstop and then it gets put away and neglected for several months. I love to dry fruit in there, veggies, etc. We use it most often to make different kinds of jerky. I'm going to make some fruit leathers for the kids later this week. Man, that would have been a perfect use for all the millions of strawberries I had earlier this year coming from my berry garden. D'oh! Oh well, they didn't go to waste anyways.

emilydmac

bump! i love zucchini

CeleryStalker

mental note: next time, the dehydrator is going in the garage. The sound of the fan is driving me insane. I keep thinking I left the stove fan on and want to run up and turn it off, then I remember what the noise is... :-|