Today is National Trail Mix Day and what goes better with the outdoors than trail mix. Trail mixes are a high energy, tasty treat for the trail or snacks. When camping, hiking or biking, a handful of trail mix can provide you with an extra energy boost to keep from tiring out. Trail mix can be purchased at grocery stores or created in the home using a food dehydrator. Dehydrating snacks at home provides a healthier, more cost-effective way to consume and preserve trail mix snacks.
Dehydrator provides a solution for preserving in-season fruits and vegetables. It also gives consumers an alternative to store bought dehydrated items that are filled with preservatives and other additives. Families dehydrate fruits and vegetables and fruit purees for all-natural fruit roll-ups. Hikers / Athletes for trail mix, meals such a soup and stews (that can be reconstituted with water). The 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator with Timer is a great option for those looking to make trail mixes at home. Below are two recipes that you can use to make some great granola at home using a dehydrator.
Trail Mix Recipes
GRANDMA’S GRANOLA
• 1 1/3 cups Brown sugar
• ½ cup Sunflower seeds, crushed
• 1 cup Cashews, crushed
• 1 cup Walnuts, crushed
• 1 cup Peanuts, crushed
• 5 cups Oatmeal
• 8 tbsp. Butter
• 4 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. Sea salt
• 4 cups Dried fruit
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thoroughly blend nuts and oats. Place in a baking pan with sides and toast in oven for 10 minutes. Stir 3 times so they won’t burn.
2. Combine honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in sauce pan and simmer stirring constantly.
3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all ingredients including dried fruit. Dump your granola mixture onto a cookie sheet, plastic cutting board, or piece of wax paper. Evenly compress and spread the mixture so your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.
4. Cut into bars and dehydrate at 115° for about 3 hours.
BLUEBERRY – BANANA GRANOLA
• 1 cup Almonds
• 1/2 cup Walnuts
• 1/4 cup Pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup Sunflower seeds
• 2 Ripe bananas
• 1 tbsp. Raw honey
• Pinch Himalayan salt
• 1 cup Blueberries
1. Soak the nut/seed mix for 8 hours (or overnight) using fresh water. Rinse thoroughly and drain. Transfer into a large glass bowl.
2. Soak dates and discard the water. In a blender, combine dates, 1 banana, honey, salt and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer the mixture into your nut/seed bowl and give it a stir.
3. Dehydrate for 18-24 hours at 118°F.
Excalibur Food Dehydrator
• 9-large trays, 15″ x 15″ each. Mesh screens are BPA free.
• 26 Hour Timer lets you set it and forget it. Unit automatically turns off when the set time is complete.
• Adjustable Thermostat 95◦F to 155◦F. Temperature range is low enough to preserve active enzymes in fruits and vegetables. Temperature range is also high enough to meet safety standards for dehydrating meat for jerky.
• 7-inch fan, 600 watts.
• http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/radiant-blueberry-9-tray-w-plastic-trays