Kiwibird
Well-known member
- Jul 12, 2012
- 9,539
- 111
- Parrots
- 1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Whew! This took a bit more time than I thought since I not only did the chop but made all the beans and grains to be quick-cook too (Note to self: Do NOT make these at the same time again lol). Since I do not have a large freezer, I dehydrate instead. Here's a breakdown of how to make dehydrator chop and quick cook beans+grains (both of which are time consuming to make but really save time on a daily basis!)
Harvest holiday surprise dehydrator chop:
Large bag cabbage slaw mix (no seasonings, just the shredded veggies)
Large bag frozen veggie mix (I got carrots, peas, corn and green beans)
Bag cranberries
1 bunch kale
1 pomegranate
1 pie pumpkin
2 red apples
2 red pears
How to prep:
1. Remove stems from kale and pulse in food processor until finely chopped. Dehydrate on one sheet alone.
2. Heat cranberries until they "pop", cool and dehydrate on one sheet alone.
3. Deseed pomegranate and cut up apples, pears and pumpkin. Place pumpkin seeds in mixing bowl. Pulse in food processor until finely chopped (you will likely need to do this in batches). Mix well in a large mixing bowl. Spread chop thinly on dehydrator sheets.
4. On a separate sheet each, dehydrate cabbage slaw and frozen veg (no need to thaw first)
5. Dehydrate all at 118 degrees for approximately 24 hours, or until fully dry. Combine and mix well in an air tight container for storage.
The apples, pears, pomegranate, pumpkin chop before dehydration
After dehydration
(I didn't get before/after pics of the others. Shame on me:09:
How to re-hydrate for serving: In a small dish, soak in a small amount of water for 15 minutes. Will hydrate back to a mushy state. I re-hydrate a small scoop of this (I think maybe 1/8cup?) every morning.
Quick-cook beans and grains mix:
1lb 15 bean soup mix (no flavorings or anything but beans/grains)
2 cups rice macaroni noodles
2 cups quinoa
1 XL sweet potato or 2 medium sweet potatoes
How to prep:
1. Soak bean mix overnight. Drain and rinse, before pouring in a large pot and covering with about 2" water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Drop heat to a simmer and simmer for 3-3.5 hours until beans are cooked. ***Do NOT undercook the beans for this quick-cook mix, they MUST be FULLY cooked for this recipe. Undercooked beans are difficult to digest and could hurt your bird***. After fully cooked, drain excess water and spread on dehydrator sheet.
2. Prepare quinoa according to directions (I always use a rice cooker for mine and am not sure how to prep on the stovetop). Spread into a thin layer on dehydrator sheets. * Quinoa likes to clump up when dehydrated, you may need to pulse the fully dehydrated product in the food processor
3. Cook noodles. Spread on dehydrator sheet.
4. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Boil in water until soft, then mash with a potato masher. Let cool to 'warm' (i.e. just don't use them while piping-hot) before spreading on a dehydrator sheet.
4. Dehydrate at 118 degrees for about 15-20 hours (will vary slightly between the 3), until thoroughly dehydrated.
Dehydrated FULLY COOKED beans will split and come out crumbly. They will re-hydrate fine into a mash-like texture.
Dehydrated sweet potatoes will come out with a jerky-like texture. You may want to rip the bigger pieces into smaller pieces for more even distribution in this mix.
To re-hydrate: Cook mix 1:1 with water in a small saucepan until soft. Since everything is already fully cooked, this should only take about 10 minutes, and everything can be cooked all together without worry. It will have a soft, mash-like texture. I like to make this one in slightly larger batches that will last a few days in the fridge and I can serve up as needed.
~And just because my husband found it so funny, I have a massive dehydrator (and it wasn't cheap
) and have yet to get more than 2 of the very cheap silicone dehydrator sheets for it. In my defense, I do dehydrate a ridiculous amount to justify the stainless beast, no particular reason why not more dehydrator sheets though lol. Seeing as I still lack the silicone sheets though, I just use baking sheets and platters instead:lol: And though I have one of the largest home dehydrators out there, it STILL always feels too small:54:
Harvest holiday surprise dehydrator chop:
Large bag cabbage slaw mix (no seasonings, just the shredded veggies)
Large bag frozen veggie mix (I got carrots, peas, corn and green beans)
Bag cranberries
1 bunch kale
1 pomegranate
1 pie pumpkin
2 red apples
2 red pears
How to prep:
1. Remove stems from kale and pulse in food processor until finely chopped. Dehydrate on one sheet alone.
2. Heat cranberries until they "pop", cool and dehydrate on one sheet alone.
3. Deseed pomegranate and cut up apples, pears and pumpkin. Place pumpkin seeds in mixing bowl. Pulse in food processor until finely chopped (you will likely need to do this in batches). Mix well in a large mixing bowl. Spread chop thinly on dehydrator sheets.
4. On a separate sheet each, dehydrate cabbage slaw and frozen veg (no need to thaw first)
5. Dehydrate all at 118 degrees for approximately 24 hours, or until fully dry. Combine and mix well in an air tight container for storage.
The apples, pears, pomegranate, pumpkin chop before dehydration
After dehydration
(I didn't get before/after pics of the others. Shame on me:09:
How to re-hydrate for serving: In a small dish, soak in a small amount of water for 15 minutes. Will hydrate back to a mushy state. I re-hydrate a small scoop of this (I think maybe 1/8cup?) every morning.
Quick-cook beans and grains mix:
1lb 15 bean soup mix (no flavorings or anything but beans/grains)
2 cups rice macaroni noodles
2 cups quinoa
1 XL sweet potato or 2 medium sweet potatoes
How to prep:
1. Soak bean mix overnight. Drain and rinse, before pouring in a large pot and covering with about 2" water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Drop heat to a simmer and simmer for 3-3.5 hours until beans are cooked. ***Do NOT undercook the beans for this quick-cook mix, they MUST be FULLY cooked for this recipe. Undercooked beans are difficult to digest and could hurt your bird***. After fully cooked, drain excess water and spread on dehydrator sheet.
2. Prepare quinoa according to directions (I always use a rice cooker for mine and am not sure how to prep on the stovetop). Spread into a thin layer on dehydrator sheets. * Quinoa likes to clump up when dehydrated, you may need to pulse the fully dehydrated product in the food processor
3. Cook noodles. Spread on dehydrator sheet.
4. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Boil in water until soft, then mash with a potato masher. Let cool to 'warm' (i.e. just don't use them while piping-hot) before spreading on a dehydrator sheet.
4. Dehydrate at 118 degrees for about 15-20 hours (will vary slightly between the 3), until thoroughly dehydrated.
Dehydrated FULLY COOKED beans will split and come out crumbly. They will re-hydrate fine into a mash-like texture.
Dehydrated sweet potatoes will come out with a jerky-like texture. You may want to rip the bigger pieces into smaller pieces for more even distribution in this mix.
To re-hydrate: Cook mix 1:1 with water in a small saucepan until soft. Since everything is already fully cooked, this should only take about 10 minutes, and everything can be cooked all together without worry. It will have a soft, mash-like texture. I like to make this one in slightly larger batches that will last a few days in the fridge and I can serve up as needed.
~And just because my husband found it so funny, I have a massive dehydrator (and it wasn't cheap
) and have yet to get more than 2 of the very cheap silicone dehydrator sheets for it. In my defense, I do dehydrate a ridiculous amount to justify the stainless beast, no particular reason why not more dehydrator sheets though lol. Seeing as I still lack the silicone sheets though, I just use baking sheets and platters instead:lol: And though I have one of the largest home dehydrators out there, it STILL always feels too small:54:
