Destination Anywhere

I borrowed the dehydrator from school yesterday to make sun-dried tomatoes. Without the sun, yes, but also without the bugs that committed suicide on the sticky half-dried tomatoes the first and last time I tried it the old fashioned way. The dehydrator is also a hell of a lot better than an oven, since warm air blows all around the food. They turned out sweet as could be.

I also experimented by making zucchini chips, which I read about in someone or other's blog a while back. I peeled and thinly sliced zucchini, placed the slices on the dehydrator trays, sprinkled with Trader Joe's 21 Salute seasoning (a spicy blend, but any herb blend will do) and a bit of garlic salt. Dried them at 135 for 4-5 hours or so, until just crisp.

Wow. Crispy, spicy, and guilt-free. Who knew? Certainly not me. I'm going to hit the farmer's market for more zucchini tomorrow. One thing I learned--these need to be eaten soon after coming out of the dehydrator for best texture. They lose the crunch pretty quickly, sadly.