Well I’ve been having a lot of fun using my dehydrator lately. At my second job I juice a fair amount and I’m lucky enough to be able to take any left over pulp that the kitchen does not need. A few days ago I decided to take about one quart worth of spinach pulp and make raw ‘sauté’-style spinach cakes with them. I made them into cakes just for the look and because I’ve always been a fan of having a crust like texture to my food. But I bet this would be perfect just laid out flat on a tray. I added some of my favorite spices, olive oil and garlic. I had my cakes in the dehydrator for 4 hours at roughly 90 degrees. To the left are the predehydration cakes and the left is the finished product!

They had a slight crunchy layer on the outside and the inside was moist and reminded me of sauteéd spinach (that’s how I got the name for it;) ). I’m a huge spinach fan and I LOVE garlic so for me this side is a hit!

Popeye eats spinach for an extra strength boost but the lists of benefits could even knock him out. Spinach protects against inflammatory problems(Vitamins C, E, Manganese, Zinc, Antioxidants ), oxidative stress-related problems, cardiovascular problems, bone problems (Vitamin K), protects against eye diseases (lutein), slows the age-related decline in brain function and is loaded with flavonoids (anti-cancer substance) just to give you an idea of a few benefits.

Another spinach cake idea I’ve been toying with is something I just whipped together today. Its spinach, broccoli, red onion, yellow pepper, beet and carrot in my favorite ginger dressing. On the left we have the cakes getting ready to be placed into the dehydrator and on the right is the finished product.After I put the cakes in the dehydrator I decided I want to sprinkle them with some sesame seeds. They have a great kick and I love the combination of vegetables. It makes a great texture, creamy and crunchy. The ginger dressing is a little spicy but I added some other ingredients to it that help calm it down with some sweetness. I like this salad/patty mix not dehydrated as well, but these past few days with the weather being more on the chilly side having dehydrated foods that mimic cooked food as been lovely. I shared these cakes with a friend who is not vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, diary free, or any other dietary needs

I just want to apologize that I am not giving actual recipes for these but it looks like I may be using my recipes for a special project where I can not share them anymore. So I’ll be cutting down on doing things like this!

I’ve also been roaming the internet for some new Thanksliving meal ideas and stumbled upon a Cauliflower Mash & Mushroom Gravy recipe by Ani Phyo. I found the mash to be a little plain; I added a splash of coconut nectar and a little bit oregano and thyme. I wish I had chives in the house, I bet that would have been a lovely addition. Here’s what my stab at the recipe ended up looking like!

I think this is a recipe I’ll work on and probably end up kind of making it into my own dish. I would like to work on making it a little bit sweeter, creamier and I tastes like something is missing in the gravy but I can’t figure out what it is.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to share any Thanksliving meal ideas, recipes or plans. I have a poll I’ve been posting the last few posts and I haven’t had any luck with getting votes. So if you have a second please take my poll, thank you in advance.

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