Fruit Smoothie
2 C. Bottled or Canned Fruit with Juice
¾ C. Water
4 T. Nonfat Powdered Milk
1-2 drops Extract (Vanilla, Almond, etc.) or 1 T. Lemon Juice, optional
7-8 Ice Cubes
Add all ingredients except ice to blender and process until smooth. Add ice and blend until ice is broken down and drink is thickened and smooth.
Breakfast Vegetable Egg “Muffins”
1 C. OvaEasy Whole Egg Crystals or Thrive Life Scrambled Egg Mix
2 C. Water
1 C. freeze dried Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 T. Tomato Powder
1 C. freeze dried Sausage Crumbles
1 T. dried / freeze dried Green Onion
1 C. freeze dried Broccoli
½ C. dried / freeze dried chopped Spinach
½ C. dried Red Bell Peppers, crumbled or diced into small pieces
Optional Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Chives
Combine egg mix with 2 C. water (more than package requires); stir in cheddar cheese and allow to rest 10-15 minutes to rehydrate the cheese. Add sausage, onion and tomato powder. If mixture seems too dry to rehydrate the sausage and onion, add a T. of water, give it a minute or two, and add a little more water. Add broccoli, spinach and bell peppers. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a silicon muffin pan if you have it. Otherwise, grease a standard 12 C. muffin tin. Check egg mixture. Vegetables should be rehydrated, if not, add a little water again as you did when you added the sausage. This should not be watery though. Only add enough water to ensure you don’t have crunchy bits. In total, you should not have to add more than 4 extra T. of water to the original 2 C. It should almost be batter-like with the additions of the meats and vegetables, rather than runny like plain eggs. If desired, you can season with salt, pepper and herbs. Mix to evenly distribute ingredients, then divide your egg “batter” evenly between 12 muffin cup Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until set.
Frittata
2 C. freeze dried / dehydrated Vegetables – mushrooms, onions, spinach, bell peppers, scallions, or other vegetable of choice
½ C. Water
1 T. Oil
1 C. OvaEasy Whole Egg Crystals or Thrive Life Scrambled Egg Mix
1 T. Instant Milk
1 tsp. Salt
Seasonings, if desired
2 ½ C. Water
½ – 1 C. Freeze Dried Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place vegetables in an oven safe pan with ½ C. of water over medium heat. Move vegetables around a bit with your spatula. When the water is absorbed and excess steamed off, add oil to pan, toss to coat vegetables, and continue to sauté them until they get a little sear. Meanwhile, whisk powdered egg crystals, instant milk with the 2 ½ C. of water in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and any desired herbs and spices. Pour eggs over vegetables in pan. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, then place the pan in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until set and just cooked through.
3 Egg Cheese Omelet
½ C. Freeze Dried Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Thrive Life)
1 ¾ T. (Cold) Water
Place cheese in Ziploc bag. Sprinkle water over cheese. In normal times, it’s good to refrigerate while it rehydrates, about 30 minutes, for the best cheese consistency. It works OK in an omelet without doing that.
¼ C. OvaEasy Whole Egg Crystals or Thrive Life Scrambled Egg Mix
6 T. Water
Salt, Pepper, and any desired herbs
Whisk powdered egg crystals with water in a small bowl, seasoning as desired.
½ T. Oil (or butter)
Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium once oil is hot. Pour in egg mixture and allow to set lightly, without browning. With rubber spatula, lift the set layer of egg up on one side and tilt pan to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath. Repeat on the other side. If the eggs release excess water, you can blot it with a clean towel or carefully drain off (this happens more often with smaller amounts of egg than large quantities). Once egg is fully set, carefully flip over, top with rehydrated cheese, then fold in half and serve.
You can of course add other ingredients to your cheese filling. Try adding dehydrated green onion to the eggs before pouring, or rehydrating onions and mushrooms and / or sausage crumbles and adding those to your omelet (I would sauté them a bit, just pour my egg over and incorporate the vegetables into the egg part of the omelet with just cheese inside for the easier method)
Versatile Rice & Beans Soup Base
8 oz. (1 C.) of rice
2 oz. (1/4 C.) of red kidney beans
2 oz. (1/4 C.) of pearl barley
2 oz. (1/4 C. lentils
1 oz. (1/8 C.) of split green beans
1 oz. (1/8 C.) of chick peas/garbanzo’s
Chicken Bouillon and Salt Optional but highly recommended
Put the ingredients into 6 quarts of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours. When I cooked this it didn’t thicken up for me in two hours, but once I turned the burner off and let it sit for a while it did thicken up into a very hearty soup! This makes a hearty base for a soup. You can add dried meats such as chicken, or even jerky at the beginning of the cook time. You can add additional canned vegetables (add in last 5-10 minutes of cooking) or fresh vegetables from your garden.
Everlasting Yeast
1 quart warm potato water (strained excess water after boiling potatoes)
½ Yeast Cake or ½ T. Dry Yeast
1 tsp. Salt
2 T. Sugar
2 C. White or Whole Wheat Flour
Stir all ingredients together. Place mixture in warm place to rise until ready to use for baking. Leave a small amount (about 2/3-1 C.) as a start for the next time. Between uses, keep in covered jar in refrigerator until a few hours before ready to use again. Add same ingredients (except yeast) to the yeast start for the next baking.
Homemade Bulgur
1 C. Hard Red Wheat Berries, cleaned
2 C. Water
Precooking the wheat and cracking it to create bulgur gives you a product that you can store that cooks up much faster than untreated whole or cracked wheat berries.
Rinse wheat and discard water. Combine wheat with 2 C. water and bring to a boil. Simmer 1 hour. Drain off extra water to use in soups or gravies later. Spread wheat thinly on cookie sheet or shallow pan and place in 200 degree oven until very dry, about 2 hours. When it cracks easily, it is done. Grind coarsely in wheat mill and store. To cook, use 1 C. bulgur to 2 C. Water or other liquid, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and summer 10-15 minutes.
Basic Cracked Wheat
3 C. Liquid
1 C. Cracked Wheat
1 tsp. Salt
Cracked wheat is a wheat berry, broken into small pieces. Nutritionally it is the same as whole wheat. It differs from bulgur in that bulgur is precooked. To crack wheat, place whole wheat berries in a mill or grinder set on the coarsest setting or pulse in a food processor. Only grind what you will be using to preserve nutrition and storability.
Combine ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Try varying the liquids used to cook the wheat. Try fruit juices if it will be used in a salad or hot cereal with fruit or water or broth or tomato juice, depending on where the wheat will end up.
Wheat Berries
1 C. clean, whole Wheat Kernels
5 C. Water
Combine wheat and water. Bring to a boil in covered pot. Boil 2 minutes, and remove from heat. Let stand one hour. Bring to a boil a second time. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, saving liquid to use in gravies and sauces.
Raw Gluten, “Meat from Wheat”
9 C. cold water
18 C. whole wheat flour
Place water in a large bowl. Add 6 C. of flour, beating well. Add another 6 C. flour and beat until dough is very elastic. Add the last 6 C. slowly as the mixture gets very stiff. If you have a heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook, use it to develop the gluten into a very elastic mass. If not, turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead roughly. The gluten is well developed when the dough gets hard to knead and bounces back when pushed down. It should also be very smooth. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for at least 2 hours or overnight. Pour off the excess water. This drained liquid contains starch, bran, and some nutrients, so save it for use in soups, gravies, or as liquid in bread making. Continue kneading and rinsing the gluten until the water poured off is clear. What remains is raw gluten. It is a tough, sticky, somewhat elastic substance that has almost no taste.
Often simmered in a soy flavored broth until it rises and is cooked, then sliced, sautéed with onions and seasoned with BBQ Sauce.
Maple Syrup Substitute
4 C. Sugar
½ C. Brown Sugar
2 C. Water
1 tsp. Maple Extract
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
In saucepan mix sugars with water until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cover. Boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and add flavorings.
Basic Powdered Milk Yogurt
2 C. Warm Water (110)
1 C. Non-Instant Milk Powder
2 tsp. Plain Unflavored Yogurt (or freeze dried yogurt starter)
Pour warm water into blender and turn on at low speed. Add milk powder slowly and blend until smooth. Add yogurt and blend a few more seconds. Pour into jars or glasses. Set for 8 hours at 110-120. You can do this in a yogurt maker, or in a dehydrator, or even in an oven, if it will heat that low. Refrigerate immediately after setting. This yogurt can be used to make yogurt cheese by draining well.
Buttermilk / Sour Milk
1 C. Water
1 T. Lemon Juice or Vinegar
1/3 C. Powdered Milk
Mix ingredients and let sit a few minutes.
Sweetened Condensed Milk
½ C. Hot Water
1 C. Powdered Milk
1 C. Sugar
Blend thoroughly in blender. Store in refrigerator or freeze.
Not Quite Whipped Cream
½ C. Ice Cold Water
½ C. Sugar
½ C. Powdered Milk
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
Pour water into a cold bowl. Add milk and beat with egg beater until stiff. Add sugar slowly while beating. Add lemon juice, and beat until just mixed. Serve right away.
Whipped Evaporated Milk
1 C. Evaporated Milk (from powder)
2 T. Lemon Juice
Evaporated milk must be completely chilled. Add lemon juice and whip until stiff. Sweeten and flavor as desired.
Evaporated Milk
1 C. Water
2/3 C. Powdered Milk
Blend well.
Coffee Creamer
1 C. Instant Milk Powder
1/4 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. Thrive Vanilla Powder
Add all ingredients to blender or food processor and blend until fine powder.
For Pumpkin Spice Add: 2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
For Chocolate Add: 2 T.Cocoa Powder
For Almond Add: 1 tsp. Almond Powder
Honey-Mustard Salad Dressing & Marinade
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 C. melted honey
3 T. lemon juice
1/4 C. vinegar
1 C. salad oil
Mix dry ingredients. Add honey, lemon juice, and vinegar. Slowly add the salad oil, beating until well blended.
Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 C. powdered Buttermilk
3 T. dried Parsley
1 T. dried Dill Weed
½ T. dried Thyme
1 T. Onion Powder
1 T. Salt (celery salt)
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
3/4 tsp. Pepper
Optional: ¼ tsp. Accent (MSG)
Combine in a food processor and blend into a powdery consistency. Store in a container of choice.
To make ranch dressing: Combine 1 T. mix with 1 C. mayonnaise and 1/2 C. milk. Mix with wire whisk. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
To make a ranch dip: Combine 2 T. mix with 1 C. sour cream. Mix with wire whisk. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Herb Salad Dressing Mix
1/4 C. parsley flakes
2 T. each dried oregano, basil and marjoram, crumbled
2 T. sugar
1 T. fennel seeds, crushed
1 T. dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Place all the ingredients in a 1 pint jar, cover tightly and shake well to mix. Store in a cool, dark, dry place. Makes 1 C.
To Make Herbal Vinaigrette Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 T. Herb Salad dressing mix, 3/4 C. warm water, 2 1/2 T. tarragon vinegar or white wine vinegar, 1 T. olive oil and 1 crushed clove garlic (or garlic flakes). Taste and add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of the Herb Salad Dressing Mix if you want a stronger flavor. Let Stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before using, then whisk again. Makes about 1 C.
Sweet Balsamic Dipping Sauce
1 pkg. Good Seasonings Italian Dressing (or Homemade Mix Version)
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar
3 T. water
1/2 C. olive oil
2 T. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. brown sugar
Mix dressing according to package directions using balsamic vinegar and olive oil and water. Pour into a jar and add Italian seasoning and sugar; shake well to mix. Store covered 12 hours before serving.
Enchilada Sauce
1/3 C. tomato powder
1/4 C. flour
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1 T. cumin (adjust to taste)
1 T. chili powder (adjust to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
3-4 C. water
1 T. Vegetable Oil
1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp. freeze dried onions
Combine all dry ingredients except oregano and onions in a pot over medium high heat. While whisking constantly, add just enough water to make a thin paste. Continue stirring / whisking for 1 minute without adding any more water. Add the rest of the water, 1 T. oil, oregano and onions. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.
LTS Pizza Sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 C. water
1/2 C. tomato powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. Italian Blend
pinch salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk to combine. Add water and olive oil to saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in the dry ingredients. It will foam up a bit, just stir until it dissipates. Use for pizza sauce or to dip bread sticks in.
Barbecue Sauce
1-1/2 C. Dark Brown Sugar, packed
6 T. Tomato Powder
3/4 C. water
1/2 C. Red Wine Vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
2-1/2 tsp. Ground Mustard
2 tsp. Paprika
1-1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. cumin
⅛ tsp. pepper
Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a near boil, then reduce heat and simmer to meld and develop flavors.
Ketchup
6 T. Tomato powder
1/2 C. water
¼-1/2 C. apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. cumin
⅛ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. mustard powder
Combine all ingredients. You can serve immediately, or combine in a pot, bring to a near boil, then reduce heat and simmer a bit to meld and develop flavors.
Dehydrator: Tomato Powder
You can dry whole tomatoes, or even make tomato powder from just the skins leftover after peeling tomatoes used in another application.
Any tomato variety is fine. Fresh, non mealy tomatoes are best for flavor and drying speed. For whole tomatoes, slice into a uniform thickness. Place them in a single thickness on dehydrator trays, using non stick sheets. Place the bottom of the tomatoes skin side down so it dries well. Dry the tomatoes at 155 degrees. Once partially dry, and no longer goopy, remove the non-stick sheets for faster drying. Dry until no moisture remains. They should go past the flexible sun dried tomato stage. Store tomatoes in a freezer bag and pop into the freezer for a week. This will kill off any bug eggs that might be hiding in the tomatoes. While still frozen, process in blender until it becomes a fine powder. Store in air tight container, such as a vacuum sealed mason jar.
Chocolate Pudding Mix
2 1/2 C. dry milk
5 C. sugar
3 C. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 C. cocoa powder
Mix all ingredients together until they are well blended. Store in a glass jar with a tight lid. To make pudding, combine 1/3 C. mix with 2 C. milk, one tsp. vanilla, and one T. butter. Cook over low heat, bringing gently to a boil. Cook and stir for one minute. Cool and serve.
Hot Chocolate Mix
4 C. dry milk
1 C. unsweetened cocoa
2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. instant coffee (optional)
Mix the ingredients and put them into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Use 1/4 C. per one C. boiling water.
French Onion Soup Mix
3/4 C. dried minced onion
1/3 C. beef bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
Blend ingredients and store in a glass jar. Use as you would commercial French onion soup mix. For dip, combine 5 T. with 2 C. sour cream and let sit for at least an hour before serving. For soup, simmer 5 T. the mix with 4 C. water.
Cream of Chicken Soup Mix
2 C. dry milk
1/4 C. chicken bouillon granules
3/4 C. cornstarch
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
Mix together all ingredients and pack them into glass jar. To substitute one can of cream soup, combine 1 1/4 C. water and 1/3 C. soup mix in a small saucepan, whisk together, and cook over low heat until thickened.
Potato Soup Mix
2 C. instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 C. dried milk
2 T. instant chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients and place in quart glass jars. To use. combine 1/2 C. soup mix with 1 C. boiling water.
Dry Onion Soup Mix
2/3 C. dried chopped Onion
½ C. Butter Powder
½ C. Beef Bouillon Granules
2 tsp. Onion Powder
2 T. Cornstarch
2 tsp. Parsley
Combine ingredients and store in quart jar. Combine desired amount with water for quick soup, or add to other recipes as you would use an envelope of dried onion soup mix.
Vegetable Soup Mix (Knorr Copycat)
1 C. vegetable flakes
2 T. wheat germ
1/4 C. dried pasta – cracked into very small bits / almost powdered
3/4 tsp. dried parsley
3/4 tsp. dried sweet basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
Mix together in bowl. Store in airtight container. Use as you would the packaged soup mix.
Dehydrator: Minced Garlic & Garlic Powder
Lots of Garlic (5 – 6 lb. for a full 9 tray load)
Peel garlic. Wash and dry cloves. Mince into small pieces (either by hand or with a hand cranked food processor. My full size processor tends to pulverize instead of mincing. YMMV). Spread in even layer on lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 125 for 8-12 hours. Store in vacuum sealed mason jar to use in place of fresh minced garlic in recipes. To turn some into powder, simply crush with mortar and pestle or whiz in coffee bean grinder (dedicated to spices). I find the garlic will retain better garlic flavor in the nugget-y form, and only crush a small amount when I actually need powder form (like say seasoning pizza sauce when my kids will object to chunky bits).
Sausage Seasoning
3 T. ground rosemary
10 T. ground sage
7 T. salt
3 T. plus 1 tsp. powdered marjoram
3 T. plus 1 tsp. powdered basil
3 T. plus 1 tsp. cayenne
3 T. plus 1 tsp. garlic salt
Optional (for more spice) ¼ to ½ tsp. dried red pepper chiles, powdered
Mix ingredients well. Store in jar and label. Shake before using.
French Fry Seasoning
2 tsp. salt
1 T. dry minced garlic (I use my dehydrated garlic)
1 T. dry onion (I use my dehydrated onions)
2 tsp. chili flakes (any dry peppers will work, I use red pepper flakes)
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
Grind all together in processor or coffee mill or use mortar and pestle as fine as can get. I normally make double or triple batches. Sprinkle on hot popcorn, sprinkle on French fries before fry and again after, sprinkle in skillet fried potatoes, sprinkle on chicken wings before sauce them.
Chili Powder Blend
2 T. paprika (I use smoked paprika)
2 tsp. oregano (optional)
1 ½ tsp. cumin
1 ¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. chipotle chili powder
Thoroughly mix and store in airtight container.
Old Bay Seasoning Mix
1 T. ground bay leaves
2 1/2 tsp. celery salt
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/4 tsp. ground mace (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom (optional)
Combine all ingredients: store in an airtight container.
DIY Rice Seasoning
¾ C. chicken bouillon granules
1/2 C. dried parsley
1 T. basil
1 T. dill weed
2 T. dried onion flakes
1 tsp. seasoning salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1 C. almonds, coarsely chopped (optional)
Mix together and store in an airtight container. When preparing rice, bring 2 C. water to a boil and add 1 C. rice and 3 T. seasoning. Reduce to simmer and cook for 18 minutes.