I am in love with kale chips. Well, kale in any form really. I love kale in smoothies, in scrambled eggs, on grain-free flatbread pizza, and simply sautéed in coconut oil and sprinkled liberally with Real Salt. I love the texture, the slight bitterness and I mean, if we’re being honest here, doesn’t eating kale make you feel righteous or something?
A year or so ago one of my favorite stores starting carrying nacho kale chips in bags. I walked past the end cap, did a quadruple take, let out a middle school-esque squeal and begged a store employee to open a bag and let me try them. Why didn’t I just buy a bag and take them home to try? Because the price tag nearly knocked the wind out of me, thats why.
Whyisgourmethealthfoodsodarnexpensive?!
Blech.
I’ve bought them a few times, because they are THAT GOOD. My kids and I have been known to crowd around a bag of kale chips and inhale them before we even unloaded the rest of our groceries. But I can’t really justify $5+ for a treat that will last us approximately 15 seconds.
So, I’ve finally put my mind to perfecting my own version. It took a few tries, but By George I think I’ve got it! My recipe is a bit different from other version I’ve seen floating around. Most recipes call for red bell pepper. I’ve made these kale chips in the past and have included the red pepper, but this week when the kiddos and I were in the mood to try this recipe out again I didn’t have any on hand, so I decided to make them without. They came out better without the red pepper! My version also uses avocado oil rather than olive oil, but you could certainly use olive oil if you can’t find avocado oil.
This recipe is very easy, so it’s a good one for getting children into the kitchen. My kids think cooking with me is super fun, and I’ve found they are more eager to try new recipes if they are involved in the process. My littlest boy was particularly thrilled to participate in this recipe, since he has a dairy allergy. He kept telling me how tricky we were for making foods that aren’t cow milk taste like cheese. Haha. Funny little guy. Love him.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch organic kale
- 1 cup raw cashews (you can soak these overnight, then drain or use as-is)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- dash cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Real Salt or good sea salt
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
Instructions
- In a good blender, combine ingredients (minus kale) until smooth. You may need to add a bit more oil or some water to get a good smooth consistency.
- In a larger mixing bowl, pour the "cheese" sauce over kale and mix gently until kale is well coated.
- Oven method: Spread kale out on a baking sheet. Try to get each piece of kale separated from the others so it can crisp more easily. Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours, or until kale is crisp. Turn baking sheet and flip kale half way through baking. Allow to cool completely before serving (if you can wait that long).
- Dehydrator method: My dehydrator has only one temperature setting, so I can't give advice on what temperature will give you the best results. But, in my dehydrator it takes about 4 hours.
These look yummy. I’m wanting to make these this week for my Bible study, but don’t have coconut aminos, what purpose does that ingredient serve or what could I sub for that, do you know?