Better than sauteed zucchini (dehydrator sauteed)

I came across a raw vegan recipe for "marinated" vegetables.  You slice the veggies about 1/8" thin, toss with a dressing and then dehydrate on teflex sheets for 2 hours at 110 F.

It doesn't sound very revolutionary until you taste it. Watery vegetables that get a bad rap for having a rubbery texture, like zucchini and eggplant, are transformed. The result is not really like "marinated" raw vegetables at all. So I'm calling it  dehydrator-sauteed vegetables.  And apparently I really like them because I've made this recipe at least 4 times in the past couple weeks!

The water is wicked away, leaving warm, slightly chewy on the edges vegetables and lots of flavor. Compare this to cooking zucchini on the grill or stove where it starts to release some but not all of the water and gets soggy and flavorless.

I reduced the original recipe's massive amount of olive oil-- I'm finding that 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice is just right. And you can go crazy with whatever spices you want- just make sure to add salt!

This is a great way to use up farmer's market vegetables that I don't typically eat raw (lettuce, cucumbers, carrots are easy to snack on out of the fridge; but eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms tend to languish in the fridge if I don't' feel like turning on the stove).

Easy Lunch/Dinner tip: these can sit out at room temp once prepped, so I like to cut the veggies, toss with the marinade and put in the dehydrator with a timer set to start later in the day. I use a lamp/applaiance timer which tells the dehydrator when to turn on (i.e. 2 hours prior to the meal). Then when I get home for lunch or dinner, it's ready.

INSTRUCITONS
Decide on your vegetable and marinade ingredients.

Veggie Combinations:

• Bell pepper, corn, zucchini (latin theme)
• Mushrooms, eggplant, yellow summer squash
• Eggplant & garlic
• Green beans are ok but they don't get as cooked (they taste more raw) 

Marinade:
1-2 TB lemon juice
1-2 TB of good quality olive oil
sprinkling of salt to taste
Optional Flavorings: black pepper, paprika, cumin, chipotle pepper, garlic, onion powder, finely chopped basil, oregano and/or cilantro

1. Wash vegetables.  Slice into 1/8" thick pieces (don't go paper thin unless you want it crispy)

2. Toss veggies with marinade. Make sure you get all the slices coated (sometimes zucchini likes to stick to itself).
3. Pour over teflex sheets on dehydrator trays.  I generally make enough for 1-2 people (i.e. 1 zuch and 1 corn cobb and a few mushrooms) and spread over two trays.
4. Dehydrate at 110 F for 2 hours
5. Gently scrape off the teflex sheets (I use a spoon)


Uses for dehydrator-sauteed veggies:

• wrap into a flax wrap, ezekiel tortilla for a wrap sandwich (see photo at top).  Optionally add other veggies (lettuce), pickles and or dressings, such as raw vegan chipotle cream dressing
• Top a green salad
• Garnish rice and black bean bowls
• eat warm out of the dehydrator or just as good chilled from the fridge