Garlic Kale Chips ~ Raw, Vegan, Gluten Free

All hail kale! Yes, I say this over and over again. Please excuse my repeat :)  It's just that kale is so so good for us, it is incredibly versatile and it is really a beautiful plant.  Easy to grow, great in many climates (especially in cold climates where the flavor is enhanced and sweetened) and it will clean, clean, clean your body.  With that said, let's all take a moment to hail the kale!  How can we do this?  How about making kale chips that will blow your expectations of amazing snack foods outta the water?!  Here we go:

This is what you are going to need: dehydrator. If you don't have one, I highly suggest investing in one. In the mean time, set your oven to its lowest setting, crack the door and leave it open for venting.  If you are using an oven, the cooking time will be very quick, about 1 hour or less so keep on eye on them.

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of curly green kale, stemmed, chopped  (about 8 cups)
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2-4 hours, rinsed
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 8-10 cloves garlic, crushed, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 4 tsp. granulated garlic, optional for extra intense garlic flavor
• 1/8 cup filtered water, use as need for consistency

Method:

1. The easiest way to de-stem and wash kale is as follows: Hold the kale leaf by the stem and place your hand around the stem then run upward along the stem to remove the leaf.  Tear or chop your kale and add to a large bowl of filtered water. Let soak for about ten minutes, swish and then drain.  Rinse again and your leaves should be good to go.  No need to dry the leaves. They can be a little wet. 
2. Place all ingredients, except kale, water, and granulated garlic, in a food processer fitted with the "S-type" blade. Process until smooth.  Scape down the sides and with the processor running, slowly add the water.  We want a consistency similar to hummus or tahini.
3. Toss your kale in the garlic mixture.  Massage it into the kale gently.  Then lay your seasoned kale pieces on your dehydrator sheets.  Sprinkle with the granulated garlic.
4. Dehydrate 8 hours.  Best to do this in the morning and let them dehydrate during the day! They smell so incredibly good the scent of garlic will wake you up if you dehydrate overnight!  Enjoy!

These Garlic Kale Chips pair really well with a collard wrap for lunch!  I ate mine with a quick Mexi Collard Wrap filled with fresh veggies, black beans, and avocado mash.  Yum yum!

 

Want more kale chip recipes?  Coming up next, Ginger Soy Kale Chips: