'Raw' Fruit Leathers

Fruit Leathers or Fruit Rollups or Fruit Strips are super easy to make. Why buy sugary versions with dyes and other artificial flavors when you can easily make your own healthy and cheaper versions.

When we started incorporating 'Raw' food into our diet, I purchased a high-powered blender (Vitamix) which for us was well worth the money...I use my blender at least once a day to make raw smoothies for breakfast...and we use it to make so many other things. The other piece of equipment I purchased was a variable-temperature dehydrator (Excalibur)...the variable temperature is key for 'raw' food as it keeps the heat low so that it doesn't cook/kill all the healthy enzymes in our fruits and vegetables. (I'll do another post about 'raw' and why the enzymes are beneficial in our diets)

With the dehydrator, I can make many things, but the one super easy thing I make often for my kids and for snacks in general are 'raw' fruit leathers. Here's how you do it...

'Raw' Fruit Leathers:

(The one I made above was made with organic Apricots)

• Any organic fruit you have on hand that's ripe:
• Apricots (take the pit out), Kiwi (skin off), Apples (core out), Berries, Mango (pit out and skin off), Pineapple (core out and skin off), Banana (skin off), Peaches (pit out), etc
• (Optional) - Cinnamon or Coconut or Hemp Seed (hemp seed would add some protein)

The quantity of fruit depends on how much fruit leathers you want to make.  Take your fruit (you can use one type of fruit, two types, etc...depends on what flavor you are going for) and puree in a blender or food processor until it's liquid. If you made a huge batch and depending on your size of dehydrator, you may have to make these in batches. Spread the pureed fruit out onto your dehydrator tray sheet (the only fruits that are a little more difficult to spread are apples and bananas, the rest you can shake and tilt the tray and the puree will cover most of the area w/out requiring you to use a spatula or spoon). Place the tray(s) in your dehydrator, set it to maybe around 112 and let it dry for approx 4 hours. You know when it's done if you put your finger on it and it doesn't stick and you can begin peeling the leather off the sheet with it coming off as one sheet. That's it, wash, puree, spread and dry...and you have a ton of fruit leathers that will last for several weeks. 

Here are some paired fruits that we've enjoyed in the leathers I've made:

• Kiwi and Mango
• Mango, cilantro and cayenne pepper (this is great for veggie or sandwich wrap)
• Pineapple, blueberry and coconut
• Apple, banana and cinnamon
• Apricot
• Apricot and kiwi