However, I happened on the motherlode of kale goodness at the farmer's market a few weeks ago and set about trying a few different recipes for kale chips...with the sour cream and onion winning my vote as wholly addictive and distinctly bad-for-you tasting (in a good way)...it's hard to believe they are made of raw kale!
The technique is the same with all kale chips - wash, dry and de-stem kale, then massage it well with the 'dressing' or 'sauce' of your choice. You must get sauce all over the kale pieces as this is what later makes them crispy - if you miss spots they don't crunch in the same way...so make sure to get dirty and massage the kale with your hands! Then you dump it on a dehydrator tray, not even bothering to totally spread out the pieces, and dry till crisp. Voila - dark green crunchy treats that can replace your bag of Ruffles! (and, because they are made of raw kale, instead of ingesting a crapload of fat and salt, you're getting the sweet sweet goodness of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin K,potassium, manganese, copper, and even the plant form of omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid)...oh yeah!
I didn't make any of the following recipes up, but I thought I would give you a few different variations to try....if you don't have a dehydrator you can, as always, jerry-rig something by using your oven on its lowest temperature with the door opened a crack - just make sure to check the chips frequently to make sure they don't overcook...while this isn't as healthy as doing them in the dehydrator, it's still a far cry from Doritos!
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| Chocolate Coconut Chips |
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| Left: Sour Cream and Onion chips, Right: Cheddar chips |
Cheddar Kale Chips (paraphrased from Ani's Raw Food Essentials)
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2-4 tbsp water as needed
2 tbsp agave
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 cups kale pieces
Blend everything but the kale, then dump it on the kale, massage, and dehydrate for about 8-10 hours!
(I liked this recipe just fine, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was cheddar-like...tasty yes, cheesy, maybe not)
The next two are from the site nouveauraw.com, which has a great assortment of raw recipes including multiple kale chips and many many dessert recipes...
Sour Cream and Onion with Cracked Pepper chips
1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp sea salt
Blend and toss with a head of kale...and dehydrate! Absolutely delicious!
From the same site, an answer to the sweet-tooth cravings...
Chocolate Coconut Chips
1 cup cashews, soaked
1/2 cup sucanat powdered (I subbed in 1/3 cup agave)
1/2 cup water (if using agave only use a little bit of water till the sauce is the right consistency)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup cacao butter, melted
1/4 tsp sea salt
combine all ingredients except cacao butter in blender. Add butter and blend again. Massage that kale and dehydrate! These weren't my favourite but they are a great thing to have in the cupboard to replace cookies etc for a little bit of a chocolate fix.
Keep the chips in airtight bags or containers and they should last quite a while...if you don't consume them all at once....I have found that recycled salad mix or spinach packages make great containers for these...
ENJOY!
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