Quick snacks to keep me going

It's been a busy month and there hasn't been much time for making food. I think I've become a bit complacent; working at a vegan diner makes it easy to not make my own food. But, I feel so much better when I do make my own food, because it's just the way I want it. Lately I've just been making simple, easy meals, or quick snacks with little prep work. It gives me the satisfaction of preparing something, but without the time commitment of a full meal. I'm looking forward to having some more time in a few weeks (once I'm working a little less, and after I've moved) to make more food, but in the meantime, it's simple recipes like these that are keeping me happy.

Raw Tortilla-style Chips:

1/2 lb sweet potato, shredded
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
1 jalapeño, seeded
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor until it forms a mostly smooth paste. Taste and add more salt, if desired. Spread on a teflex sheet and dehydrate for several hours at 115 F until you can separate the chips from the teflex. Score the chips into triangles and flip onto mesh dehydator sheets. Continue dehydrating for about 24 hours, until crispy.


I made some other sweet potato chips by simple slicing and dehydrating cross sections of a sweet potato. You can add a bit of raw oil and salt to eat slice, but they're delicious as they are. Bryan also made some raw guacamole to go with our chips. Most guac recipes are already raw, just remember to use fresh onion and garlic (it will taste better, too) and to make sure you get all the seeds out of your jalapeños and to really chop them small. I like my quac super chunky, with lots of lime and cilantro, but you can do it however you want.

Raw Mango and Corn Salsa:
1 mango, diced
corn kernels from about 1/2 ear
several cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon finely diced onion
1-2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
a big handful of cilantro, stems removed and chopped
a big pinch of ground cumin
salt to taste

Combine all of the ingredients, including any juices left over from cutting mango. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.