If there is one thing to like about the cool crisp air, it’s the sweet bounty of kale for all the kale chips your heart desires. Crunchy, cheesy, goodness that is not only vegan but also raw! If you have ever bought kale chips from the store you know how delicious they are but also how expensive they are.
If you’re lucky you can find them as a side dish at a raw food or vegan restaurant. Or you could be extremely lucky and have a friend like me that gets you to try them! But even then it’s always nice to know how to make them yourself so you can eat your weight in kale and share with all your friends 🙂
Kale Chip Ingredients!
There are many benefits to eating kale, for more information I recommend checking out this amazingly informative article.
Back in Kansas City I used to get massive amounts of local organic kale for very cheap at the city market. I also had my own dino kale plants that grew to be as tall as me. We were getting kale all summer and well into November until the cabbage worms took over and ate all of the plants. Those white butterflies maybe beautiful but they are dangerous!
We found an amazing local organic farmer at the Bethesda’s Central Farms Market and she has been giving us a pretty good deal since we buy on the bulky side every single week. I have found most farmers to be incredibly generous with their crops and in return I make sure to tell all my friends and family how wonderful their produce is! It’s really nice to be apart of this ever-growing community, everybody is so friendly and exchanging a word or two while standing in long lines is just a part of the lifestyle that I love and cherish.
This cashew cheese sauce is not only good on kale but it is great wherever nacho cheese or cheese whiz is good. So think nachos, or tacos! It’s also good as a salad dressing or on rice!
Cashew Cheesy Kale Chips
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large bunches of curly kale
Nacho Cashew Cheese
- 2 cups cashews soaked
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3/4- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Optional
- 1 jalepeño de-seeded
- -or- 1 tbsp cayenne -or- both for extra spicy
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rinse kale thoroughly.
- De-stem all the kale by ripping the leaves off. or you can cut them off, whichever you prefer.
- Let them sit out and dry while you make the cashew cheese.
- Rinse cashews after they have been soaked for at least an hour, blend them by themselves in a blender or food processor. Scrape the blender walls periodically.
- Add in the bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, onion and juice of 1 lemon and blend again until well chopped.
- Scrape the walls down again and add in 3/4 cup of water and the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth adding more water if necessary.
- Add the kale and some cheese to a bowl and start crunchy the kale with your hands to get them evenly coated.
- Lay them out in 1 layer on a dehydrator sheet without a teflex sheet.
- Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 8 hours. If possible for the first few hours it's best to dehydrate them on 165 degrees for 2 hours to evaporate excess water right from the beginning to lower the chance of mold.
NOTES
Enjoy and start making the next batch the day after…trust me 😉
Amanda xo
Ingredients I Recommend
Tools I Recommend
Excalibur dehydrators starting at $199.99
Great for small gardens or specialty gardens.
5-large trays, 15″ x 15″ each. Mesh screens are BPA free.
Adjustable Thermostat 95◦F to 155◦F. Temperature range is low enough to preserve active enzymes in fruits and vegetables. Temperature range is also high enough to meet safety standards for dehydrating meat for jerky. Unit turns on automatically when thermostat is in use.
This is truly the best dehydrator for making a bunch of raw vegan kale chips!
