Maca Cherry and Peach Fruit Leather
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free ~
Many of you are well aware of the superfood product called Maca, but I thought it would be beneficial to share a little bit of information on the health benefits of it for those who are not aware of this product. There are many ways that Maca powder can benefit you, here are a few ways but not limited to:
- Increases endurance, Alleviation of chronic fatigue
- Relief of menstrual symptoms. Reduce of hormonal disorders during menopause
- Regulation of hormonal balance in the body
- Treatment of anemia
- Improvement of memory, mental and academic abilities
- Providing the skin a youthful look
- Contributing to healthy bones and teeth
- Acts as an anticarcinogen and antioxidant
- A positive effect on increasing muscle mass, and by many athletes as an alternative to synthetic steroids that are known that can have many side effects
With all that said, I decided to amp up this recipe by sliding in a little bit of this amazing food into it. I have used maca in many of my smoothie recipes as well, which can give it a malted flavor. I encourage you to give Maca a try and see if helps you in your day-to-day performance. Blessings!
Ingredients:
yields 5 cups = 2 / 12″x12″ leathers
- 6 cups chopped, organic peaches
- 1 cup organic cherries, pits removed (I used Bing)
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds, ground in a spice grinder
- 1 Tbsp maca powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation:
- Select RIPE or slightly overripe peaches and cherries that have reached a peak in color, texture, and flavor.
- Prepare the peaches; wash, dry, remove stems, and stones.
- Puree the fruit, ground chia, maca, and vanilla, in the blender or food processor until smooth. Taste and sweeten more if needed. Keep in mind that flavors will intensify as they dehydrate. When adding a sweetener do so a little at a time, and reblend, tasting until it is at the desired taste. It is best to use a liquid type sweetener. Don’t use granulated sugar because it tends to change the texture.
Allow the puree to sit for 10 minutes, so the chia has time to thicken the puree.- Spread the fruit puree on teflex sheets that come with your dehydrator. Pour the puree to create an even depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. If you don’t have teflex sheets for the trays, you can line your trays with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Do not use wax paper or aluminum foil.
- Lightly coat the food dehydrator plastic sheets or wrap with a cooking spray, I use coconut oil that comes in a spray.
- When spreading the puree on the liner, allow about an inch of space between the mixture and the outside edge. The fruit leather mixture will spread out as it dries, so it needs a little room to allow for this expansion.
- Be sure to spread the puree evenly on your drying tray. When spreading the puree mixture, try tilting and shaking the tray to help it distribute more evenly. Also, it is a good idea to rotate your trays throughout the drying period. This will help assure that the leathers dry evenly.
- Dehydrate the fruit leather at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, reduce temp to 115 degrees (F) and continue drying for about 16 (+/-) hours. The finished consistency should be pliable and easy to roll.
- Check for dark spots on top of the fruit leather. If dark spots can be seen it is a sign that the fruit leather is not completely dry.
- Press down on the fruit leather with a finger. If no indentation is visible or if it is no longer tacky to the touch, the fruit leather is dry and can be removed from the dehydrator.
- Peel the leather from the dehydrator trays or parchment paper. If it peels away easily and holds its shape after peeling, it is dry. If it is still sticking or loses its shape after peeling, it needs further drying.
- Under-dried fruit leather will not keep; it will mold. Over-dried fruit leather will become hard and crack, although it will still be edible and will keep for a long time
- Storage: To store the finished fruit leather…
- Allow the leather to cool before wrapping up to avoid moisture from forming, thus giving it a breeding ground for molds.
- Roll them up and wrap them tightly with plastic wrap. Click (here) to see photos of how I wrap them.
- Place in an air-tight container, and store in a dry, dark place. (Light will cause the fruit leather to discolor.)
- The fruit leather will keep at room temperature for one month, or in a freezer for up to one year.
Culinary Explanations:
- Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
- When working with fresh ingredients, it is important to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
- Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do however truly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
So exceptionelly pretty, your packaging! Lovely, Amie Sue, and all your marvellous creations, a real pleasure. Thank you
Your welcome and thank you! Anne-Marie. I love to package the foods that I share with others. You can really personalize gifts that way. Many blessings! amie sue
Thank you for your answer. I was wondering who created them for your and found out last night ( when I couldn’t stop reding your recipes) that you create them yourself. You are so talented, I admire you. Hopefully, I will have the same chance to meet you one day like Jana.
By the way, I already asked you but don’t remember in which recipe,do you take fresh wheatgrass? Love from cold Switzerland, AM
You betcha AM :) I have always dabbled in arts and crafts, now I just mix all my art mediums together and have way to much fun hehe. I hope we too can meet one day. Do you ever visit the states? Bob and I would love to come there to Switzerland. Jana has an open invitation for us… but that darn girl is on the go these days. hehe
I will have to think hard as to what recipe that is…. oh dear, I must need to drink more of it to enhanse my memory. :p Have a blessed nights sleep. amie sue
Amie Sue, you are most welcome in my home in the french region of Switzerland, I would love to have you here. Yes, Jana will go back to the States soon.
I had several occasions to visit the States (East cost, west cost, Great Lakes region) with my ex husband and my 2 sons, many years ago, and we loved it. Hopefully I can come and follow a cours with you, Matthew Kenney, HHI, Living Light, Tree of Life and all the others. My plans would need a whole year and my cats would be unhappy. But definetely, I will come back. In the meantime, I am waiting for your here (Zermatt with the famous Matterhorn is not far away from Geneva lake were I live..) Just tell me. Have a happy week-end, AM
Well Anne-Marie… I just read your comment to Bob… and when I looked up he was gone. He was in the bedroom packing. lol Ok, not really BUT he was soooooo wanting to pack and leave asap. hehe I extend the same invitation to you should you end up in my neck of the woods. :) Well, I am going to rest now. I processed 400 lbs of bananas today and got all my Christmas gifts ready for the post office. I am embarrassingly organized this year. lol. I don’t have a fever, so I am not sure what is wrong with me. Have a glorious weekend and please keep in touch my friend. amie sue
Sorry for the late answer, ! had to find back this posting
Haha, dear Bobo and Amie Sue, pack up and come soon, take a break and visit Switzerland whenever you like. Of course, it’s better in spring or summer time but if you decide, come away any time you wish. I am waiting for you! And if I could come to the US, I would love to knock at your door, thank you sooo much for your lovely offer, Amie Sue.
What did you prepare with so many bananas? Surely another great creation and surprise. Congratulation, how did you managed to be so well organized for Christmas gifts?? Happy to know that you didn’t have fever…, are you often sick in winter or around Christmas time because of all the stress? Wheatgrss helps me incredibly well. Love hearing from you, hugs to you and Bob
Good evening Anne-Marie…. I extend the same offer to you as you do to me. :) Always welcome. Bob and I are talking about taking a month trip to your surrounding area. Not sure when but soon… maybe next Spring.
The bananas were for the Raw Crispy Monkey Brittle that I am packaging and selling. Today, we did a taste testing as a local grocery store that just started to carry it on their shelves. In 5 hours we sold 72 bags. Not so shabby. :)
I am normally a pretty organized person. This year I jumped on the band-wagon a bit early because I knew things were going to get busy with the new raw food manufacturing business. I don’t get “Sick” around certain times of the year. I suffer from a few digestion conditions that bring me great challenges.
Well, today tuckered me out. :) Off to relax. Many blessings and so good to hear from you Anne-Marie! amie sue
I am so sorry for you, Amie Sue, you really deserve to be in best health. Thank you for your nice answer, could we have once a skype discussion? Perhaps, I could tell you about your digestion conditions as I am dietician, but not the classical anymore. For your banana monkey brittles, I am not astonished at all about your succes and I wish much more! Hope you are in very good shape again, today. Sending you all my blessings and best health wishes, AM
Good evening Anne-Marie,
I sure wouldn’t mind talking to you more about this. Please shoot me an email to [email protected] and perhaps after the first of the year we can set something up. Right now I have family arriving in 3 days, then more 2 days later, then more 2 days after that and then a few more 3.5 days after that. lol It’s going to be a full house of love! Blessings and sleep well! amie sue :)
Sorry, sorry see the mistakes always after posting: Bob and not Bobo..
lol all is good :)