DEHYDRATED JALAPENO'S - Make Your Own Spices!

 

ONE of my favorite foods to dehydrate is JALAPENO'S! If you're on my facebook page, you've probably heard me rave and rave about how good Jalapeno's are in my food.

 

Believe it or not, I used to not like Jalapeno's and only grew them for my husband.

 

This is the first batch I had prepared for the dehydrator. I figured the filled mason jar would last my husband for close to a year. Boy was I wrong. I've since discovered THAT I TOO love the flavor of dried Jalapeno's and we quickly (in less than a month) went through the entire jar! I went into a panic!

 

 

Unlike the first batch, I've since discovered a shortcut. Slice them long ways!

 

 

 

Using my Nesco Dehydrator that I had purchased from Amazon, I set it outside to dry the peppers for the first 8 hours. Afterwards, I brought the Nesco back indoors and continued drying for another 24 hours. Since you really can't "over dry" your food, I always try to stick to the safe side and dry extra.

 

Also, I had learned that drying certain foods, like the (Green Onions Blog) indoors caused us a bit of discomfort and made our eyes water.

 

This dried batch of about 35 jumbo sized Jalapeno's filled a mason a jar.  What a space saver! Not to mention, if I were to grind these slices into powder, I would be able to put hundreds of hot peppers in a quart sized mason jar.

 

 

 I got my inspiration to dry my seasonings from my mother who had successfully turned her hot peppers into JALAPENO SALT - Blog

 

Using a Magic Bullet, I experimented with the Jalapenos, sometimes using dehydrated green onions, garlic, salt, pepper...  By the way, those Magic Bullets are simply AMAZING when it comes to grinding dehydrated food! This bullet comes with a small cup and blade, specifically for turning things into a fine powder and with just a few quick pushes, I have instant fresh spices for my meals!

 

 

Spicing up chicken breasts

 

Seasoning Salmon and potato wedges. So quick and easy to prepare a meal. Just season and pop in oven!

 

I love to add the Jalapeno's and green onions to scrambled eggs

 

Chicken wings have become one of our favorite meals to prepare. The sky is the limit on the spices you can dehydrate and add to meat and potato dishes.

 

I'm still experimenting with other foods to dry and use for spices. If you have any ideas or have tried other peppers and herbs, would love to hear from you!