Know Any Literary Animal Lovers?

Hi there PureJeevan readers! We wanted to let you know that Jim's new novel CHROO is available on Amazon. It's a crazy adventure involving a billionaire heiress, her Chihuahua BFF ("Chroo") and a host of human and animal characters. Find out more on Amazon! Here are some links:




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It's time for a little Phun Phriday Philosophy. (I hope you don't mind a little levity as we end this glorious week ) It just occurred to me that philosophers and self-development gurus commonly admonish against "attachments." Isn't that true ?We're attached to our egos, our possessions, our relationships. All attachments are bad, it is said. I believe one of the primary tenets (Noble Truths) of Buddhism centers on this very thing -- that our attachments cause suffering.

Well, all of that may be food for thought. But, when it comes to food for your body, I'm here to tell you that attachments are GOOD -- especially, when we're talking about the shredder attachment for your food processor!? Oh, don't lie to me, fellow raw foodie (or raw aspirant, as the case may be): You know you've neglected this wonderful tool, haven't you? -- relegated it to some unimportant place in the back of a kitchen drawer somewhere, right ! Well, it's time to rediscover the shredder blade! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to reconnect with this delightful food processor attachment.

I started thinking about this when one reader, Gary (an archaeologist!), asked me if I might unearth (get it ) a decent raw applesauce recipe for him. I immediately thought of this attachment because, even though the recipe I thought of wasn't a real saucy applesauce, it's still a similar, highly tasty dish. Basically, all you need to do is:

  • core / deseed a couple of apples (if you have a few different kinds, that would be super)
  • chop them minimally, just enough to be able to feed them into the food processor
  • run them through the shredder blade
  • also run a couple of handfuls of walnuts through, for extra texture.

From here, you can get creative. Here are some things you can do with this mixture:

  • I would definitely recommend sprinkling some cinnamon and a little bit of salt into it, no matter what you do. (Also consider other "apple-pie" flavors like nutmeg, clove, and cardamom.)
  • You can spoon it into a bowl and (optionally) drizzle agave nectar (or a sweetener of your choice) over it (or process further with agave or some soft/soaked dates).
  • You can process all or some of it further using the standard S-blade -- pulsing a few times to make it a bit mushier (more applesauce-like than just the shreds).
  • You can use this (appropriately spiced-up) as an apple pie filling -- for example, using a raw date-almond blend or something similar for a crust.

This is just one great use of the shredder blade. We've posted many demos in the past that show us using this for salads, wraps, and more. Anyone else have a great use for the shredder attachment? Come on... who else is attached to this attachment ! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Original Comments

Below, we have included the original comments from this blog post. Additional comments may be made via Facebook, below.

On January 30, 2010, Patricia Robinett wrote:

sounds yummy! my food processor is my favorite tool next to my vitamix. i bought a fine tooth shredder and a thin slicer for my cuisinart on ebay... i LOVE it. it makes salads wet & easy to eat without too many added ingredients. well, and i am learning to like my mandolin too -- thanks, jim, for the lesson on mandolins. it's so nice to have such wonderful tools to make foods easier to eat. i am loving making cukes into wide noodles. :)

On January 30, 2010, colleenmccauley wrote:

Great post, Jim. I haven't made a good apple pie since Thanksgiving. I always use the date/nut crust and pop it into the dehydrator. Sooo good. And I just bought apples tonight, too. Hmmmmm....

On January 30, 2010, The Pearl wrote:

Thanks Jim, while it's true that my life is in ruins (sorry couldn't resist), I know from past experiences in the field that one can always use a good receipe for applesauce that doesn't require cooking, so I'm sure once I give your receipe a go, that I'll really dig it.... (ouch! sorry) : )- Gary

On January 31, 2010, lunamama wrote:

My shredder blade is one of my best friends! I have recently been making beet salad with Dill Dijon dressing... One giant beet makes ALOT of beet salad!

On February 15, 2010, Sharon Kurtz wrote:

I like to shred raw beets and season them with rosemary, olive oil and basil.