Sunday, January 20, 2013

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: "Cheezy" Kale Chips! Ⓥ


This is my second kale chip recipe I'm posting, and I know I went off about how amazing the last recipe was, but for real, this recipe is the best damn thing ever created!! ;) 
We make a batch every couple weeks and eat most of them entirely too quickly. Well, at least they're super healthy! 
These are packed full of flavour with a rich "cheesy" flavour. The trick with these is to dehydrate or cook them just the right amount, so be sure to keep an eye on them. You want them to be perfectly crispy but not too dry, but you don't want them to be soggy either. Practice means perfection! ;)

We make these in our kick-ass Excalibur dehydrator, but I've included general baking instructions to bake these in the oven as well--I just haven't personally made them in the oven, so keep an eye on them and let me know how they turn out. ;)  


"Cheezy" Kale Chips

*2 large bunches of Kale, chopped up (larger stems removed)
1 cup raw Cashews, soaked for at least 10 minutes. 
4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Hemp Oil (or other healthy oil)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
a little water for consistency

Recipe Variation:
If you have a cashew sensitivity then replace the 1 cup of cashews for about 3/4 cup of sunflower seeds. Soak them for about 10 minutes and follow the rest of the recipe as usual. 

*we don't really measure the kale, we generally buy two bunches from the farmer's market or co-op grocery store and chop it up so that it fills a large bowl as pictured. ;) 

Chop up your kale into larger "chip"-sized pieces--don't go too small as they will shrink up a lot--and remove the larger stems. 
In a food processor, blend up all your ingredients, adding a little water until you get a nice creamy consistency. 
Toss your kale into a large mixing bowl and pour your mixture over, thoroughly mixing so that all the kale is evenly coated. 


In the dehydrator:
Line up your kale in your dehydrator trays and dehydrate for approximately 6-8 hours. Like I said, keep an eye on them, the time will vary by how much coating is on your kale and what kind of kale you used. 
Why I love the dehydrator method? Because you're keeping them raw (depending on your ingredients) and therefor packed full of all their beneficial nutrients. :)


In the Oven:
Spread the kale evenly on a large cooking sheet. Now, there are two ways of doing them in the oven…
One, is the attempt to keep more of the nutrients by cooking at a lower temperature: Preheat oven to 200° F and bake for 2-3 hours. 
Two, is if you're impatient but you'll kill a large portion of the nutrient value: Preheat oven to 350° F and bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Either way, cook until the kale chips are crispy and the edges are lightly browned--not burnt! 


Enjoy! ;) 

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13 comments:

  1. You have nutritional yeast listed twice. Is it supposed to be that way for a total of 7T? Or maybe I just read the recipe wrong? (wouldn't be the first time. LOL )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. nope, that was a mistake! thanks for pointing that out! All fixed! ;)

      Delete
  2. If anyone else wants faster kale chips, this is pretty neat. I followed your recipe, but my dehydrator is a small round Nesco brand one. Last time I made the chips, it only took 2 hours! They tasted just great, and I'm making a new batch right now. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the heads up. Thats what I have and I'm about to make some.

      Delete
  3. What temp do I set the dehydrator to?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 135 for about an hour and then drop it down to about 118 for the remainder.
      xo

      Delete
  4. Will doing this in the oven at 200 degrees keep the nutritional value around the same as if it were raw or in the dehydrator? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. From what I have heard anything above 118F then the food's nutrition starts to be diminished. You would still be maintaining more nutrients cooking at lower temperatures but it wouldn't be quite as nutrient rich as raw.

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  5. This is really yummy :) Thanks for sharing your recipe!

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  6. How important is the yeast? Is this an ingredient that can be skipped? Or is there a substitute that can be used?

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  7. what is nutritional yeast and is it nec. to use it?

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  8. What does nutritional yeast do and do I hav e to use it/ cindy

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  9. the nutrional yeast gives it a cheesy flavour, I don't recommend leaving it out for this recipe, though you can find kale chip recipes without it if you search.
    It's very good for you, high in protein, B12 and other vitamins :)

    ReplyDelete

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