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!