Krunchy Kale Chips

I love knowing that I can make “chips” from one of natures healthiest vegetables in my own kitchen. Kale chips have become a new craze in the Raw Food and Health world over the last couple of years. They serve a very important and satisfying purpose. They fulfill that salty, crispy, crunch that most people often crave every once in a while. Since these “chips” are full of delicious and healthy whole food ingredients, it makes them just that much better!

It doesn’t really take much to put them together. You don’t necessarily need a dehydrator, which is what is commonly used in most “raw” food recipes. So if you don’t have one, the good news is that you can just use your home oven (on a low temperature of course!). But if you have already gone the length and purchased a wonderful Excalibur dehydrator, then you may as well make your kale chips in there – as a dehydrator will preserve all the nutrients and enzymes  and ensure they don’t get “overcooked”, especially if they are only done at 115 F. If the oven is your only option, then you will need to keep an extra eye on them so that they don’t burn or shrivel up and disappear on you. Kale is a very tender green leafy vegetable that carries with it so many amazing nutrients.

Kale truly is a superfood. Kale contains powerful minerals and vitamins that strengthen your bones, protect your eyes, cleanse your blood, prevent colon cancer and makes your skin glow (now who doesn’t want that!). This all because Kale is an exceptional source of chlorophyll, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin A and C.

So the next time you are perusing through the produce section, or at your local farmer’s market or in my backyard…then grab a bunch of kale and experiment with it at home. Making kale chips is one way and a great way. But also marinating it in a salad or steaming it with some olive oil are other delicious ways as well!

Zesty Kale Krisps

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale, washed and torn

1/4 cup tahini

2-3 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 clove garlic

1 juice of half a lemon

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (can add more for a “cheesier” flavour!)

Instructions:

Place kale in a large mixing bowl. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth to get a thick consistency. You may have to add more water. Pour over kale and mix thoroughly with your hands to coat the kale. You want this mixture to be really glued onto the kale.

In Dehydrator:

Place kale onto a Teflex sheet, and dehydrate for 4 hours @ 115 degrees. You’ll need to use two trays. Rotate kale occasionally to dry uniformly.

In Oven:

Place on parchment paper on a sheet tray, and bake on a low temperature for about 30 minutes. Keep and eye on them and turn them often to make sure they dry evenly.

You can use any variety of Kale for this recipe, however curly kale tends to taste and turn out the best!