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?
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!
For oven baked kale chips, I follow this recipe which works beautifully:
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/09/cheezy-kale-chips-saturday-snacking.html
Not sure if this would work with the extra moisture from the tomatoe/cashew sauce.
My husband and 6 year old son love them, so they disappear shortly after coming out of the oven.
Out of sheer curiosity have you ever cooked with cannabis?
I just made some baked kale in the oven…no issues with it burning…as the recipe had me put in oven at 175 for 30 mins….then turn oven off for 30 mins.but leave in oven…then flip leaves over..turn oven back on same temp for 30 mins…off and sit in oven again for 30 mins….at this point they were suppose to be done- but I had to turn mine back on for another 15….may seem time consuming but I was working around the house anyway….they turned out great..not burnt !
These are the most delicious kale chips I have ever eaten! They put the store bought ones to shame!!!
I did not see how much Cheese to use in the recipe. Could you let me know?
Thanks so much,
Brian
I think I used all of it. If your kale bunch is small you might want to add more kale if the sauce is too thick. enjoy!
OOPs, Is the cashews and other ingrediants that you blend the cheese sauce? Sorry I am new to this.
Thanks
Just dehydrated kale straight from the garden…so delish! I don’t even cut it up, just give my kids whole dried leaves and we all just love it. Great new recipe, thanks!
I’m a little late to the kale chip party, but I have a batch of these in my Nesco for just under 6 hrs at 115 degrees, and I just ate a salad plate full of them! But with one major change since I’m not patient at all and can’t have cashews in the house unless they’re preportioned! So I substituted a handful of whole almonds, unsoaked, straight out of the bag. And the chips were glorious!! My husband hasn’t discovered them yet, so I’m going to store them in a Food Saver canister with a chalkboard label that’s marked “Nasty”. ha
Hello! I noticed in your article you said Eric went from eating a very limited variety of vegetables to eating almost all vegetable. My question is, how did you do that? My husband is incredibly picky. If it looks strange or has a unique color he won’t touch it (Let me add, what is considered strange to him is spinach or butternut squash). He grew up eating mostly frozen dinners and fast food and after being together for nearly 5 years he will eat a few more things but still not what is needed. So getting a picky husband to eat better is possible, how did you do it?
Thank you!
Hi Candace,
Years ago when my husband didn’t eat a wide variety of plant-based foods, he would always promise to try one bite of whatever I made. I think this was key because over time, these small bites grew on him and he started eating a bit more and a bit more. Now, over 5 years later, he eats hundreds of new foods that he never used to enjoy.
Never made cheesy kale chips but I do make all sorts of other kinds and I make them in my oven all the time. They turn out great and it’s hard not to eat them all in one sitting!!! I sympathize with your husband…it’s hard to share something so delicious!!! I treat my kale the same as you. Make sure you dry it really well. Then I coat mine in tiny bit of olive oil or any healthy oil and my seasoning blend – depending on whatever flavor I want. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake at 250 degrees until they are crisp completely. Let cool completely before storing. I never make it to this last part. In my house we eat them all and we never have to worry with storage.
These are absolutely amazing as is–but I’m going to try them with canned chipotles instead of sundried tomatoes today!
I just made those, and they are DELICIOUS! I used sundried tomatoes in sunflower oil and I didn’t need to soak them beforehand. Will definitely make those again (and again and again and again!). Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the chips Annabelle :)
Delicious!! I’m about to dive into tray #2! ?