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?
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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!
mmmmm adding sundried tomatoes is a good idea! The last time I made kale chips, a handful would go into the dehydrator, then another handful would go into my mouth…it’s dangerous work, kale chip making ;)
I make mine in the oven – generally a full cookie sheet with an even layer of kale I’ll cook at 350 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes. I find the trick is to check on them often and remove the pieces that are done while allowing the others to continue to cook (that way they all get crispy but you don’t end up with burnt ones). Hope that helps!
I have a Nesco dehydrator that I found on craiglist so it was super affordable. I read up on the brands of dehydrators before I went searching and Nesco was the best bet!
This looks and sounds amazing!! I’ve made kale chips int he oven with nutritional yeast, but after reading this, I need to try this cheesy cashew sauce… and I’m contemplating getting a dehydrator! You are very convincing.
To be honest, I dont use mine that much, probably because 1) its huge and 2) im impatient….BUT if you think you will make a lot of raw foods it could be worth it!
haha from the guy who used to drink loads of soda! Too awesome that he gets upset with you when you eat too many of “his” chips. Kevin gets the same way when I make him apple fries (sliced apples baked with a crunchy almond flour topping). He gobbles them up with his shoulder OVER the plate so I can’t sneak in and grab a couple!
We’ve clearly created monsters…bahah
I make cheezy kale chips in my oven! Not with an actual cheeze sauce (I toss them in olive oil, nooch, garlic powder, and salt) but they are pretty wet and floppy when I put them in there and they still come out crispy so I think the cheeze sauce would work too.
I bake mine at 300 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how heavy handed I was with the olive oil. It also helps that I live in Colorado where we have zero moisture in the air to begin with so they crisp up nicely!
mmmm those apple fries sound delicious. Wanna share?
Woo, I hope you keep making veggie lovers out of people!
I just thought today that it’s time I purchase a dehydrator! This is clearly a sign, don’t you think? I posted today about a friend’s Vegan Raw goodies that she sent me, so much better than anything I can buy. Your kale chips have me curious, up to this point I have not been a fan… Do you know the price range for the dehydrators? Do they use much electricity?
I dont know the general prices for dehydrators, but I would suggest checking out some of the suggestions in the comments and reading reviews on amazon. Thats usually helpful (or more confusing!). Excalibur reports it costs 4-5 cents an hour to run their dehydrators.
a dehydrator is on my someday list…until then- bags of kale chips for me and I’m not sharing! Love the new banner!!!!
These look yummy! I have gotten my husband to like kale, but nutritional yeast is another story. He says he still can’t get over the smell. Too bad, but I’ll keep trying it on him!
maybe just knock him out with garlic and he won’t be able to smell the nooch ;)
maybe this is just my tastebuds but I feel like baked garlic tends to get way way way too bitter with the kale. i like other herbs like basil or cilantro to brighten up the mix a bit.
I put kale on a large cookie sheet and put in the oven at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. I watched it constantly! Then I took the kale chips out of the oven and flipped them, putting them back to cook for another 15 minutes. WATCH THEM …They turned out great!
Storing them is something else, because like many of you I tried paper, tupperware etc.. I finally put them in a glass jar that was on its side. I left the lid off. They lasted 3 days. I don’t know if I will do it again, as I didn’t like them sitting on the counter without a cover. Bit of a germaphobe over here!
I love the excaliber dehydrator! I got a 9 tray because the 4 tray was always getting so messy because it’s so small. I like the way with the 9 tray you can spread out the sheets and then not get the tray bottoms so messy. Can you tell I hate the clean the thing? I haven’t had much success with oven kale chips, I heard one second too long and they burn up. I’d rather go slow and steady overnight in the dehydrator if possible. More nutrients that way too.
I burned a batch of cheezy kale chips in the oven a while back…not very fun! I think I baked them at too high a temperature.
I have the same dehydrator i love. Im making these chips this weekend; can’t wait!
Personally, I like to bake my kale chips at 225F for 45 minutes. Now, I tend to use half the amount of sauce that most recipes use. Probably because I like to inhale them so quickly and I still want them to be a healthy snack. But I find that at a lower temperature, if I forget on them all of my work isn’t ruined. So yeah, I prefer slow and foolproof to quick and precarious.
Thanks for the tips!
I have made this recipe many times http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/03/baked-kale-chips/
I have made them with different seasonings and when you add a thinker coating I let them bake an extra few minutes.
I LOVE kale chips – have made them in the oven but they do seem to burn (esp the ones on the outer part of the pan) – even with mixing them around. I just bought some for the first time – and OH MY – YUM!!! They have a lot of coating too – look like yours. They were $8 for a small bag so it would be incredible to make them – I am SO ready to try this recipe :)
I have been toying with buying a dehydrator but the excalibur is so expensive – and the one I seem to hear most about. I am not sure I would use it enough to put that much money into it. I am glad to hear others responses – will look into those brands. What kind do you have angela? Are you happy with it?
Thanks for another great recipe !!! Have a wonderful weekend!
We have a 115 oz. container of sun-dried tomatoes (already soaked in oil, actually) in our cabinet. It’s from Costco. Here’s my question for you Angela: if I use up the entire container of sun-dried tomatoes for making your cheesy kale chips alone, (which I’d need 127 bunches of kale by this evening if I wanted to use up the entire container this weekend) how long do you think it’s take me to consume 127 batches? I’m thinkin’ I just took loaded question to a whole new level…
Hi Angie and others,
out of my curiousity: isn’t it expensive to keep an electric machine running for 12 hours? I’d love to have a dehydrator but am quite put off its downside of using too much energy thus being not so much environmental-friendly. Any thoughts?
Cheers!
Hey Gulcan, I can’t speak for all dehydrators but I’ve read the Excaliburs don’t use much energy, and cost reportedly only 4-5 cents an hour according to their website. I assume others are the same. Much like the oven and other appliances, I do think they should be all used in moderation though!
I cannot believe all the varying times, temps and procedures to bake kale chips in the oven. So, of course, I thought I’d just throw my method out there as well. :-D It’s super simple, I’ve done it half a dozen times (with cheesy chips, too), and it works beautifully for me ALL the time. (DISCLAIMER: I’ve never had RAW/dehydrated chips so I can’t attest to how closely they resemble those, BUT mine are wonderfully addictive, and No, these never last more than an hour in my house. In fact, somehow, HALF of my chips have already disappeared by the time they get taken off of the tray! ??!?!)
–250F (121C), on an aerated tray (I use the broil tray/sheet from the broil pan that came with my oven. I imagine a roasting rack would work, as well.)
–Bake for 20 mins, flipping once and rotating the pan, 10 mins into bake time
SO easy, so perfect, every time. I’ve used the broil PAN when the chips wouldn’t all fit on the tray, and those take 5-7 mins longer to get crispy.
Obviously different times and temps work for different people, but my method is as simple as it gets if you don’t have a dehydrator. **And the chips on the tray definitely come out nicer than when baking on a sheet or pan.
Thanks Liz!
This is too funny- “HALF of my chips have already disappeared by the time they get taken off of the tray!”….umm glad I’m not the only one!
No. *I’M* glad *I’M* not the only one. :-) WhenEVER I make these, I feel like I’m coming off of a week long fast cause I act like I haven’t EATEN in DAYS. They get stuffed in faster than I can chew!
But, well, there are WORSE things I could be pigging on than antioxidant laden, cancer-fighting, nutrient dense, mineral loaded, vitamin filled, cruciferous veggies, right? Stuffing this in my mouth at the speed of light, bad food habit? Hardly. LOL
Whole Foods has a recipe that uses the regular oven at 350 on large baking sheets with parchment paper. I haven’t tried it yet but will soon!
oops forgot to say for 10-12 minutes