October26
Item: Nacho Cheesy Kale Chips
Seller: NewFamilyNaturals
Since getting way to close to being chronically obsessed with drying fruit, I have been on the look out for some new recipes that involve drying yummy veggies. I had heard a lot about kale chips and decided to give it a whirl this past weekend.
Never heard of kale? Here’s what you’ve been missing:
- Rich in Antioxidants: Kale is a superstar in the arena of carotenoids and flavonoids, two powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from free radicals that cause oxidative stress. The key flavonoids kaempferol and quercitin (not to dismiss the 45 other distinctive flavonoids in kale) have also been shown to specifically fight against the formation of cancerous cells. With the addition of high doses of well-known antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A, and manganese, kale is certainly a smart choice in the battle against cellular oxidation.
- Provides Cardiovascular Support: The high fiber content of kale lowers our cholesterol by binding with bile acids that the liver produces from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because many of these bile acids are coupled with fiber, the liver is charged with producing more bile acid to digest fat, and therefore requires more cholesterol to so, ultimately lowering the amount of cholesterol within our bodies.
(This just scratches the surface. Get the full skinny here.)
Ready to jump on the kale train? I thought the easiest way to get this superfood into my diet was to try the chips out. Here’s the recipe I used to make my very own chips:
Cheesy Vegan Kale Chips
1-2 bunches of kale, wash, de-stem and tear into pieces
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon raw agave syrup
1 teaspoon raw tahini
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
dash of powdered ginger
dash of cayenne powder to taste
1. Rinse the kale under running water, remove stems and tear the leaf into pieces about the size of potato chips tossing them into a large mixing bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl or cup mix all the other ingredients together, beating with a fork until there are no more lumps of tahini and everything is blended together evenly.
3. Drizzle the mixture over the kale pieces, then massage it evenly through the kale with clean hands.
4. Grab handfuls of the coated kale pieces and scatter onto dehydrator trays. If the mixture is quite oily and dripping off the leaves, use a Teflex or Paraflexx sheet on your dehydrator tray. Otherwise you can put the kale mixture directly onto the dehydrator sheets and they will be ready to eat a bit sooner. (I didn’t need to use a Teflex or Paraflexx sheet). Try to break up any large clumps of kale, but you don’t need to take the time to lay every piece out individually, just make sure they are fairly evenly scattered over 3-4 trays.
5. Dehydrate at 95-105F degrees overnight. If you used the Teflex or Paraflexx sheets turn the kale chips out onto the regular dehydrator sheets the next day and dehydrate for a couple more hours until crunchy. Otherwise, test to see if the chips are crunchy. Eat them immediately or store in a sealed glass jar for later.
Get the recipe here.
So how did they turn out? OMG, they were delicious!! I am a converted fan and will be making these weekly for sure. Kale, you’ve been added to my grocery list!
Not so much into the DIY kale chips? You can bet this is an item sold on Etsy! Just click the shop link (NewFamilyNaturals) at the top of this feature to pick up a bag of their Nacho Cheesy Kale Chips, which are selling for $5.99!
- Jackie
