Eric has this new thing for kale chips.
Specifically, “cheezy” kale chips. The guy is practically obsessed. Every time we find ourselves in Organic Garage, he sneaks a bag of kale chips into the cart and then gets annoyed with me if I eat too many of “his” chips. I never thought I’d have to fight him for a dried up green leaf! When we first met, his vegetable consumption consisted of potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, and corn. Eleven years later, I don’t think there’s a vegetable he won’t eat. Give me time and I can wear down even the toughest critic.
Well, this kale chip obsession motivated me to dig out my rarely used dehydrator and start making kale chips again. Have you ever had cheezy kale chips? They are basically “chips” made from torn kale leaves which are coated in a “cheezy” cashew sauce and then dehydrated until crisp. They are ridiculously addictive. I personally cannot figure out how to make a batch last more than 1 day.
I’ve made Doug McNish’s sour cream and onion kale chips many times in the past and they are always incredible. For this batch, I decided to make a new flavour with sundried tomatoes, basil, and other seasonings for a fun twist. Very tasty idea. I found myself just eating the sauce-covered pieces of raw kale before they even were put into the dehydrator. Always a good sign the recipe will be a success!
I spread out the batch on 3 trays and set the temperature to 105-110F. Then I left it overnight for about 12 hours until they were nice and crispy. I awoke to this.
Breakfast?
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Sun-dried Tomato Cheezy Kale Chips
Yield
1 large bunch of kale
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Like nachos only better tasting and better for you. Satisfy your every chip craving with these cheezy, salty, green, and crispy kale chips!
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of kale, stems discarded and leaves ripped up
- 30 grams organic sundried tomatoes, soaked in water to soften for at least 1 hour (see note)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp soaking water from tomatoes
- 2-4 tbsp fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3/4 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
Directions
- In two separate bowls, soak the sundried tomatoes and cashews in water for at least 1 hour, but preferably 1.5-2 hours if possible. After soaking, reserve the tomato soaking water and set aside. Drain and rinse the cashews.
- In a food processor, with the machine running, drop in the garlic and process until minced.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients except the salt. Process until smooth, scraping sides as necessary, and add salt slowly to taste.
- Wash the kale leaves and tear the kale into pieces, discarding the stems. Dry the leaves in a salad spinner (this helps the sauce stick). Place greens into a large bowl. Pour the cheeze sauce on top of the kale and stir with a spoon. Then toss the spoon and get in there with your hands to massage the sauce into the kale until well coated. Season with salt to taste. I used a few shakes of Herbamare.
- Dehydrate for about 12 hours at 105-110F. Kale chips are ready when they are super crispy and taste magnificent. I dare you not to eat a full batch in 1 day.
Tip:
My sun-dried tomatoes were very hard and dry so I had to soak them first for about 1-2 hours. If you are using oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, you obviously won’t have to soak them first. I would add them to taste and then use filtered water as needed, rather than the soaking water.
I bought my Excalibur dehydrator a few years ago when I was running the bakery. I have one of their largest models because I was making over 200 raw bars at a time in it. It was a bit insane. If I could do it again I would have a smaller model for personal use (they do have many sizes too). The Excalibur works well and I haven’t had any issues with it. I do find the “humming” noise to be a bit annoying, so I like to dehydrate overnight whenever possible.
If any of you have a dehydrator, feel free to leave a comment with the brand and model as a few readers have asked me for recommendations. Bonus points if you have a recommendation for a reliable dehydrator at a low price!!
Now, I know you are wondering…well, can I use my oven if I don’t have a dehydrator? I’ve been told that it’s possible. If some of you have made cheezy kale chips in the oven, please leave a comment below and let us know what temp, method, and duration you used. Merci!
Mmm these sound like the perfect snack. Love this!
Yes I’ve made them in the oven once or twice, a low setting and not very long. They are great! I do prefer sauteed kale though for some reason, I feel like when they get crunchy they lose their substance. Then again I haven’t tried them with this sauce!
I make my Kale Chips in the oven at 250 for 30-40min. You really have to babysit them by flipping every 5min or so after the 25min mark and taking out all the the crispy chips. I might try Nicole’s method next time because that sounds a lot easier.
I was looking into the Sedona brand one, from tribest, anybody have that model? It is really nice but very expensive.
You can purchase these little packages to put in your bags of kale chips etc that help them to stay crisp. I think they are called Deyex packages.
My husband loves kale (he’s on a real kick lately) so I think I would come off as wife-of-the-year if I was able to whip these up for him! Thanks for the recipe!
It’s not cheap by any means, but I love the Sedona 9-tray dehydrator by Tribest. It looks much nicer than the Excalibur (I leave it out on my counter so looks matter) and it’s digital, so very easy to use. You can also set it to only use 1/2 the dehydrator (upper or lower trays) which saves electricity when doing a small batch. I make kale chips, granola, fruit leather, and yogurt in it all the time!
That sounds good! Is is quiet?
Yes, it’s quiet and there’s also a “night mode” which is even quieter (but will take things longer to dry since it slows the fans a bit). There are videos on YouTube comparing the Excalibur to the Sedona if you want to see a side-by-side.
I have made kale chips in the oven and I thought they turned out great! As one of the commenters above said, once you store them in an air tight containter they get soggy, so only make what you plan on eating right away (but make MORE than you think you need because they are addicting, delicious and nutritious!).
Yes love the new website! (and kale chips of course!)
For storing kale i have to say the best way seems to be simply in a big bowl, don’t crowd them .They do last a few days,sometimes i think you just can’t “store”some things?!Plus if they are on yor table they do get eaten by passing children!
thats a good idea…not like they can really get stale I guess? hah
Hey –
I make them in the oven – although I have not tried the Cheezy version. I actually just put some kale leaves (plain) on parchment paper at 250 and watch until they crisp up. Maybe 12-15 minutes. Be careful on burning, but I watch mine pretty closely.
I know that cooking things at too high a temp kills the enzyemes, hence the low temp however, I make kale chips in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes with olive oil and sea salt. They are light and flakey, perhaps avoided if I were to use a very low oven. Do your kale chips get crispy? As in, could you actually take a bite of a kale chip or do you have to eat one in one bite sort of thing?
I’ve baked regular kale chips in the oven too…they work great! However, Im not sure how it would work with the cheezy coating. I tried once and they burned along the edges so I think I had it at too high a temperature. Yup, the kale chips get super crispy in the dehydrator.
I bake mine in the oven with a cheezy coating and they don’t burn, but get nice and crispy
I make my kale chips in the oven with the temp. at 200 degrees F. They seem to take a long time to get crispy though…..something like 2 to 2.5 hours. But I saw that someone mentioned propping the oven door open so that might speed the process along. I haven’t tried this recipe, but I do make cheezy kale chips and they do get crispy without burning!
I experimented last week with a new batch of kale chips. If you blend an avocado with the cashews for the cheesy coating you get a slight hint of avocado which is oh so good!
Oh wow that sounds to die for!
YUM! These look amazing!
I’ve been eyeballing your sour cream and onion kale chip recipe for a while now! I’ll have to head out to the farmer’s market this weekend to pick up a few bunches of fresh kale!
Thanks for your post on NYC a while back. We just returned from a trip there and John’s Pizzeria was a huge hit with my husband (among other suggestions from you)! Never would have guessed from the outside how awesome and huge it was on the inside. Plus the yummy food!
Thanks for the tidbits and your posts…and the wonderful work you do….as always :)
Hey Stacie, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I think Eric is still full from eating that pizza…hah. Thanks for your kind words.
tee hee hee….Brian said the same thing!
OK. I’m sold. I’ve been putting off buying a dehydrator (small kitchen – no storage), but you’ve inspired me :-) Those kale chips look fab. If I follow through with my purchase, I intend to dry seasonal fruits, too, for use a snacks or in oatmeal. Thank you!
LOVE me some kale chips, haha! I’ve made them many times, but have never made them different flavors like this. Great idea!
What a fun flavor combo! I would love to get a dehydrator but I don’t think I would use it enough to justify the expense :(
I was so hesitant to try kale chips but I’m hooked now!! It’s been 8 months of luv :) I’m becoming increasingly aware that I would like a dehydrator as I’m eating more raw foods now.
You’re a genius. That is all. These look amazing!
Angela, these look so incredible! I love love love sundried tomatoes, and haven’t made anything with them in awhile. Must change that! My usual kale chip coating recipe involves red peppers and I can see how the sundrieds are perfect in your coating mixture. I want to eat kale chips for breakfast after this post :)
Hey Averie, Thank you! I think I remember you saying that you can bake cheezy kale chips in the oven? Do you remember what temp and for how long?
There are different variables and ways to do it, i.e. 350F for maybe 20-25 minutes or 200-250F with the oven door ajar for maybe an hour or more. I have made chips with the door open at 200F and it takes quite a long time, especially if the coating mixture is really drippy and the chips are very saturated.
Best advice is to flip every 20 minutes, and carve out a block of time where you can “babysit” them. I find slower/lower temps are better than faster/higher temps.