eggplant jerky

first, imma say that i eat meat. i think that's important because i want to stress that i do not consider this a substitute for regular meat jerky. so while i enjoy good meat jerky and even mediocre meat jerky, there's only so much dried meat my system can handle AND i like to try to eat more vegetables.

plus the more kinds of jerky you have to put in your lunch, the better off you are.

one word, my friends: EGGPLANT. if you have a mandoline slicer and a dehydrator (both things i recommend), your active prep time is about ten minutes for a batch.

i'm going to experiment later today with a different recipe, but here's more or less what i've been cranking through my kitchen ahead of thanksgiving camp:

ingredients:
1 large eggplant, washed
 about 1/3 cup oil, more or less. i like olive oil.
something salty- a couple tablespoons of either soy sauce or liquid aminos works great
an acid to brighten it up. i'm using a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar
a sweetener. i'm using as much maple syrup as i think i can get away with.
spices. however much and which kind you like. i'm enjoying a little smoked paprika, some black pepper, and a tiny bit of allspice.

slice up the eggplant. i run it down the mandoline into big slices about 3/8 of an inch thick (that's 7mm in civilized units) and then slice those lengthwise which gives you a slice about as big as a thick slice of bacon.

mix up all the other stuff in either a bowl or a ziploc bag, and dump in the eggplant. make sure the liquid gets to all the slices. there. toss it in the fridge for a couple of hours. turn it occasionally if you like to make sure the liquid is absorbing evenly.

then lay out the slices on your dehydrator at about 115°F (46°C) and forget about it for 12 to 15 hours. if you take it out earlier than later it will be more chewy than crunchy, but it's up to you how you want it.

mmmm delicious.

fish bits

last week i made some salmon jerky.

or rather, i overdried a batch of salmon jerky, so what i have is a big bag of delicious crispy salmon crumbs.

and you know what? you can use that stuff in any application where you might use bacon bits. i mean, you have to like the taste of salmon, because it's never going to not taste like fish, but the idea of some salty crunchies to go on your food and give you a protein kick still translates.

i may do that on purpose now sometimes.