Enzyme-Rich Grilled Asian Veggies

Now you must be thinking, what ARE enzyme-rich grilled veggies, and can you have both? Well, technically, no....but for this post, absolutely.  Typically grilled veggies are charred with dark burnt spots, and those you really want to stay away from since they're considered carcinogenic....and definitely not enzyme rich.  What I'm talking about are dehydrated veggies, which give you the impression of being cooked and have all the flavor of grilled deliciousness.  You can eat these without the guilt and absolutely all the enzymes intact.  That's what I'm talking about!


Here's what you'll need:


veggie 1:  Portabella mushrooms, cleaned
veggie 2:  Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half or quarters
veggie 3:  Asparagus shoots, small ones, and thick ends removed

Marinade ingredients:

5 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 inch grated ginger piece

Make the marinade mixture in a deep bowl.  Take one veggie at a time, rub rub rub, and then let it sit for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes are up, place the veggie on a dehydrator tray lined with a teflex sheet (but leave the marinade in the bowl).  Proceed with the following two veggies using the same marinade, in the same fashion.  Sometimes you might have to supplement with a little extra sesame oil or tamari, but for me, this marinade lasted (also depends on how many veggies you use - you can double or triple the marinade recipe of the marinade to suit your needs, if you're making a lot of veggies - just adjust the cooking time accordingly since they might need more).  


I know the tamari, maple syrup and oil aren't considered raw, but most importantly, I want to retain the veggie enzymes...and by dehydrating, then you're doing just that.  The marinade ingredients are just used as a flavoring and used minimally.


I use an 11-tray Excalibur dehydrator, and like to separate the trays as much as possible for more air flow.  For that reason, I only use three trays for this, one for each veggie, and take the rest of the empty trays out.  Make sure all the veggies are in a single layer, and if possible, separated by some space (not all piled up on one another)... I put the Brussels up top, maybe 2 shelves lower from the absolute top shelf, then the asparagus in the middle and the portabellas in the bottom third of the dehydrator (they're more meaty and cook faster, whereas the Brussels take the longest).  Dehydrate at 113 degrees for anywhere between 4 hours and 6 hours, depending on how "cooked" you'd like them to be.  Somewhere around the 5 hour mark I'd say works well, but go with your taste.  Also, nibbling before their done is absolutely advised...they're delicious! Enjoy!