Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Nik, a fellow foodie and good friend of Exploits remembered how much I swoon over watermelon and sent me a link to a dehydrated melon recipe. What? I have never, ever considered such a scandalous thing. I was so intrigued that I rushed to the store and bought two seedless watermelons, blazed home and began chopping like a crazed woman. The floor became sticky with juice and I got a belly ache from eating as much as I was saving. In the end I was left with two recipes I am really excited to share. Today I present Watermelon Chips, compliments of The Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking.com and Nik. Thanks to you both. Friday I will share the easiest and most divine recipe  for  Watermelon Gazpacho. Whip it up on Friday, chill and enjoy all weekend.

I used my food dehydrator to create these crazy watermelon chips. You may be able to use the oven, but my batch dried for 24 hours which is a long time to have your oven on in mid July…even on low.   At the 12 hour mark, I tasted them and discovered that they were similar to a fruit leather or jerky in texture.  Leaving them in for a full 24 hours turned them into a crispy chip. If you don’t have a food dehydrator, they are pretty easy to find affordably. Recently, I  saw a dehydrator at a resale shop for $2 and we see them at garage sales and rummage sales quite frequently. If you would like to add dehydrating to your repertoire…it is a worthy purchase. It is a new thing for me and I have been  enjoying experimenting with it.

Watermelon Chips

By: The Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking

Ingredients:

~The sweetest, most perfect seedless watermelon you can find. Mine had the small white seeds in it and they were not a problem.

Make It Happen

~Cut melon into 1/4 inch thick slices shaped like tortilla chips. This not only looks attractive, it makes them easier to pull off the parchment or drying sheet.

~Lay slices on parchment paper cut to fit your trays. Turn on machine and let it go.

~Delicately peel them off the parchment after 12 hours (aggressively rip them off so you can eat the ugly ones). Flip and continue to dry until you reach your desired texture, I waited 24 hours for the crispier chip version.

I was so enthusiastic about my watermelon experiment that I woke up unassisted and flew out of bed at 4:30am to check on them.

I defy you to not at least consider eating the entire five trays worth of watermelon chips.

These are fun to create and so insanely sweet they are the exact flavor that watermelon Jolly Ranchers were created to emulate. They would be fun in a trail mix, garnishing a martini or on top of a salad. Your family will love these and they are the perfect snack for you to have in your car, at your desk…in your hands at all times.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: dairy free, dehydrated watermelon, dried watermelon, going veg, plant based diet, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan candy, vegan challenge, vegan dessert, vegan entertaining, vegan experience, vegan transition, vegan wannabe, vegan watermelon candy, vegetarian recipe, watermelon chips, watermelon jerky