Cheesy Curly Kale Chips

[RawKnitster]

Can't get enough kale chips. All different kinds. Haven't tried one yet that I don't like. The dinosaur kale has more of a "chip" quality. The curly kale holds more of a coating and all those curls makes an extra crispy, textured crunch.

The last batch I made was using curly kale. They turned out rich and flavorful. Here's the recipe:

CHEESY CURLY KALE CHIPS

1 large bunch green curly kale***, washed, large stems removed, torn into bite size pieces

COATING:
1 cup cashews, (soaked 2 hours)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 T. nutritional yeast
2 t. agave (opt.)
1/2 t. himalayan pink crystal salt

Put coating ingredients in Vitamix. Blend until smooth. Using your hands,(same as with Awesome Goddess Chips which are indeed AWESOME), spread coating on kale pieces getting it inside of curls. Put on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 105 overnight or until coating is dry. Slide onto mesh screens and dehydrate 12 hours, or until very crispy.

That seems like a long time to dry kale chips. The kale was very curly, and the coating very thick. The smell drove my husband crazy, he LOVED it!

***The kale should be firm and curls spikey. If kale is limp, wash it, cut an inch off the end of the stems and stand in a bowl of water for an hour.

[spicyfull]

RAWks.........Thanks for Sharing.

[SandyGrl777]

I saw an incredible recipe for Kale Chips on the recipe board here - did I read somewhere Kale is not good for hypothyroid? I am just curious just so I know not to ruin something more when trying to heal issues - or maybe they are good for it LOL

I want to make them so just wanted to see :)

Thanks :)

Sandy

[marysmit]

Thanks for the Cheesy Kurly Kale Chips recipe. I had one bunch of Kale in the frig and didn't know what to do with it. Well it's in the deydrator now. Can't wait. I must of had a sm. bunch of Kale cause I had left over sauce. With the leftover sauce I added brocoli and am eating a great cup of soup. Thanks again, Mary

[marysmit]

They are awesome loved them! Thanks for the recipe.:D

[Moretta]

Going to try them, as I have not yet tried Kale chips and it seems everyone raves about them.

Thanks for sharing.

[LisaCorine]

Do you have to use the yeast? :confused:

[RawKnitster]

Sandygrl777, It might be "Chrissy's Goddess Chips" that you saw. The thread is titled "My Awesome Goddess Chips". Here is a link:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=25739 It's the recipe that got me started on kale chips. They are soooo good!

Can't forget about VeganForLife's chip thread. http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42862&highlight=kale+chips Simple and Delicious. I can eat a lot more at a time. :p

LisaCorine, Nutritional yeast is used in some recipes that boast a cheesy flavor. For me, it was an aquired taste. I'm sure it would still taste good without the yeast.

I'm convinced almost any salad dressing would make tasty kale chips. :)

[LisaCorine]

Thank you very much!!! I truly appreciate the response! :)

[SandyGrl777]

Thanks so much for the links :)

[cbritton]

So these are super tasty - I actually just made a huge batch in my dehydrator last night and they are fantastic.
I will definitely be making these again.

[RawKnitster]

Glad you like them! :)

[marysmit]

I love thus recipe and so do all my non rawfood people. :D

Can't get enough kale chips. All different kinds. Haven't tried one yet that I don't like. The dinosaur kale has more of a "chip" quality. The curly kale holds more of a coating and all those curls makes an extra crispy, textured crunch.

The last batch I made was using curly kale. They turned out rich and flavorful. Here's the recipe:

CHEESY CURLY KALE CHIPS

1 large bunch green curly kale***, washed, large stems removed, torn into bite size pieces

COATING:
1 cup cashews, (soaked 2 hours)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 T. nutritional yeast
2 t. agave (opt.)
1/2 t. himalayan pink crystal salt

Put coating ingredients in Vitamix. Blend until smooth. Using your hands,(same as with Awesome Goddess Chips which are indeed AWESOME), spread coating on kale pieces getting it inside of curls. Put on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 105 overnight or until coating is dry. Slide onto mesh screens and dehydrate 12 hours, or until very crispy.

That seems like a long time to dry kale chips. The kale was very curly, and the coating very thick. The smell drove my husband crazy, he LOVED it!

***The kale should be firm and curls spikey. If kale is limp, wash it, cut an inch off the end of the stems and stand in a bowl of water for an hour.

[RawKnitster]

Made another batch, slighty different. Used curly purple kale, no agave, about half the cashews and salt, and added a few sunflower seeds.

[schmoopee]

These are so fantastic!! They're identical to Blessings that I buy for $7 a bag! Now I can make them myself. I hope you don't mind I'm going to post the recipe over at goneraw.com. I'll put a link back here too. Your recipe is too good to not share with them!

[Coolexplosion]

Is there anyway to make them more cheesy (like Blessing's) and less red pepper tasting? I have tried cutting the red pepper amount in half but all that does is give it a calmer red pepper taste. More nutritional yeast perhaps?

[schmoopee]

Josh, are you putting enough coating on? The first time I made them I had a HUGE bunch of kale and they were less cheesy. I kinda know now how big the kale should be, if bigger I up the coating.

Mine taste exactly like Blessings, but adding more nutritional yeast would be a good idea too. I don't add the agave either.

I also think they're a lot better if you don't bother laying the leaves flat, they're denser and cheesier when you leave them bunched up.

Hope this helps!

[Coolexplosion]

Josh, are you putting enough coating on? The first time I made them I had a HUGE bunch of kale and they were less cheesy. I kinda know now how big the kale should be, if bigger I up the coating.

Mine taste exactly like Blessings, but adding more nutritional yeast would be a good idea too. I don't add the agave either.

I also think they're a lot better if you don't bother laying the leaves flat, they're denser and cheesier when you leave them bunched up.

Hope this helps!

I am putting loads of coating on for sure. When they come out it is obvious that I have thoroughly coated each one (perhaps too much?)

Yeah, I just didn't see the point in adding agave 'cause I had no idea what it would do to the flavor. Have you tried more nutritional yeast?

I definitely second this comment. Mine are very chip-like now after I just leave them curly going into the dehydrator.

[schmoopee]

Hi Josh,
I do modify as I go to taste. It's pretty close to this recipe though, however I for sure use more salt.

[RawKnitster]

Sharing is good! :) I've made these several different ways. When I was low on cashews I subbed half sunflower seeds. Once I forgot the yeast, it didn't matter. Last time I subbed a yellow pepper for red. I've used curly kale, red kale, and dino kale. Thick coating, thin coating. It doesn't seem to matter. They always turn out fantastic! :) Next time I'm adding jalepeno!

[katacykls]

I made mine last night with OO, Salt, and Curry Sundried lemon curry powder, and nutritional yeast-simple and I had them for dinner with sprouts, avocado and tomato on top and I couldn't resist but to have them for breakfast right now-they are delicious. I am so happy to have such a wonderful recipe.:D

[RawKnitster]

I tried this recipe "Nacho Style". Dropped the agave, added 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (soaked them with the cashews), and added about 1/4 of a red jalapeno. Next time...MORE JALAPENO!

[cz213]

I love kale!

[janeymack]

I'm going to have to try these, I haven't tried kale chips yet. They sound really good.

[missystems]

Has anyone tried to duplicate the Habanero recipe? If so, please share.

[JCB44]

These sound great, I will have to try them.

[greenfeline]

I have also made these with other types of greens and they are great! I get asian greens (kinds I have never heard of but I grab them) and for whatever reason they always seem to be bitter greens so I don't like them in smoothies, but for chips they are great! I do more of a sweet sauce though, like teriyaki.

[RawKnitster]

Teriyaki Kale Chips are my other favorite! :D

[Myca]

OH this looks good. Can't wait to try it.

[sprouts2go]

I think I made mine wrong. I just massaged EVOO,and nutritional yeast into my kale and dehydrated. Tasted good but not many ingredients.

[snoops]

thats how I make mine!

[RawHappy]

Really liked the dressing.

I didn't have time to soak the nuts so I had to add 1/4 cup of water to blender. I also used more nutritional yeast and half a bell pepper. It's really good.

The chips are in the dehydrator now. I ended up making a salad out of the dressing because I couldn't wait. It was just so tasty. I'm hoping these turn out great.

My first dish I made with my dehydrator were the Goddess chips and I thought they were horrible. Not a fan of Tahini. So I'm hoping my second foray into kale chips won't turn me off. I have a feeling it won't. Thanks for the recipe.

[RawKnitster]

RawHappy, Same for me. :) It makes an excellent dressing. I eat quite a few while putting them in the dehydrator. Now matter how I tweak the basic recipe it always turns out great.

I'm sure if you liked the dressing you will like the chips. :D

[snoops]

A new twist on kale chips. I have been going basic and just massaging with olive oil and adding some salt and nutritional yeast. Saw a recipe on G Living for 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp tamari (or whatever you use - Braggs, Nama Shoyu) and onion salt. Wow wow wow - they were delicious. I would put a little less tamari next time maybe 1/2 Tbsp - were a little salty. I will be making them again.

[RawKnitster]

It is hard to go wrong with making kale chips. Plain with oil and salt is excellent, and the really good part.... ready in a few hours. :)

[sharpmates]

My number 1 question about Kale chips is how do you keep them fresh? They are so good and crispy right out of the dehydrator, but no matter whether I put them in a ziploc bag or a glass jar, they lose their crispness in a few hours. I live in humid Florida, but I know it is humid other places so what am I doing wrong.

I would love to share Kale Chips with my friends, but they just aren't good if they are not crispy.

Thanks for any suggestions.

sharpmates

[snoops]

I live in Calgary so I have the opposite problem!! I have heard you can pop them back in the dehydrator for a short time to crisp them up.

[RawKnitster]

My number 1 question about Kale chips is how do you keep them fresh? They are so good and crispy right out of the dehydrator, but no matter whether I put them in a ziploc bag or a glass jar, they lose their crispness in a few hours. I live in humid Florida, but I know it is humid other places so what am I doing wrong.

I would love to share Kale Chips with my friends, but they just aren't good if they are not crispy.

Thanks for any suggestions.

sharpmates


I find they get krispy after about 12 hours, but won't stay crispy. That is why I let them dehydrate for at least 24 hours, sometimes longer. Increasing the temp slightly might work, too. There are a few raw recipe books that suggest turning the temp up for the first hour or three (for crackers/breads). If the food is wet it will take a little time to get as hot as the air temp.

Let me know if that works for you.

Frances

[smiley]

I don't like the taste of nutritional yeast.

Anytime I see it in a recipe, I substitute with pine nuts. I use double the measurement. To me, pine nuts have a "cheesy" flavor.

[anniez]

bumping for anyone who hasn't tried these!

[JennaHoneyBear]

I just popped some of these in my Good4U.

I opted out of the agave and yeast--it still tasted great!! I don't know how, but dang, bell pepper and cashews taste cheesey!!!

This is gonna be a LONG 12 hours :D

[RawKnitster]

I just popped some of these in my Good4U.

I opted out of the agave and yeast--it still tasted great!! I don't know how, but dang, bell pepper and cashews taste cheesey!!!

This is gonna be a LONG 12 hours :D

I have dropped the agave, too. If I only use the juice of a small lemon, or half a large lemon it does not need the agave. The sweet red bell pepper makes it plenty good. I've left the yeast out several times by accident. It doesn't make much difference.

You don't have to wait 12 hours. I often bump the temp up to 110 for faster drying. Depending on how thick the sauce is, they can be crispy in 4-6 hours. If they are going to be eaten immediately, that is long enough. I leave them in for 12 hours if I am going to store them. The longer drying time keeps them from going soft in storage. Eat 'em up within 2 weeks. :)

[JennaHoneyBear]

I have dropped the agave, too. If I only use the juice of a small lemon, or half a large lemon it does not need the agave. The sweet red bell pepper makes it plenty good. I've left the yeast out several times by accident. It doesn't make much difference.

You don't have to wait 12 hours. I often bump the temp up to 110 for faster drying. Depending on how thick the sauce is, they can be crispy in 4-6 hours. If they are going to be eaten immediately, that is long enough. I leave them in for 12 hours if I am going to store them. The longer drying time keeps them from going soft in storage. Eat 'em up within 2 weeks. :)

I was surprised how sweet it turned out without the agave! I put my timer on for 12 hours, but when I got home (after only 7 hours of drying) some were nice and crisp!! Yummmmyyyy! I have only made "plain" kale chips before (salt and peppa) but I will be making these a lot more! Sooo good!
I also gave some undehydrated (hydrated? lol) ones to my pets and they liked it a lot :D

[Jstmee46]

wow ,I think these are amazing .. i was eating them as i was putting them in the dehydrator..can not wait for morning .... might have to eat for breakfast:D

[RawKnitster]

I'm still making these chips. The recipe has changed over time. My standard recipe is now:

1 bunch curly green kale (8 LARGE leaves)
1 cup cashew pieces (no soaking)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 2 Tbsp.)
3/4 t. Celtic sea salt
small pinch of cayenne

Blend the cashews, bell pepper, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Massage into kale. Spread on mesh dehydrator screens. Dehydrate 12-14 hours at 110-115 degrees.

Variations:
Barbeque - add tomato concentrate powder, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and more cayenne.

[PunkRotten]

Just tried the original recipe and it was great. Definitely going to be making Cheesy Kale chips more often. Very impressed how it turned out.

[GlimR]

Made these again today...have 4 trays drying now...added 2 small tomatoes and some additional seasonings. I like them a little chewy!!:D So good!

[PunkRotten]

I can't wait to make them again!

[January Noir]

I'm still making these chips. The recipe has changed over time. My standard recipe is now:

1 bunch curly green kale (8 LARGE leaves)
1 cup cashew pieces (no soaking)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 2 Tbsp.)
3/4 t. Celtic sea salt
small pinch of cayenne

Blend the cashews, bell pepper, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Massage into kale. Spread on mesh dehydrator screens. Dehydrate 12-14 hours at 110-115 degrees.

Variations:
Barbeque - add tomato concentrate powder, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and more cayenne.

I'll be making these as soon as I get my dehydrator. :) I love anything Kale.

[ferb]

what could I sub for Kale, went shopping and the store was out. would collard or mustard or turnip greens work?

[RawKnitster]

what could I sub for Kale, went shopping and the store was out. would collard or mustard or turnip greens work?

Hmmm,, not sure. You could try a small test batch. Massage a couple drops of olive oil on a leaf or two of each and dry it to see how it turns out. If it dries well and doesn't crumble and tastes good, then it should work. Be sure to let us know. :)

[drolemil]

what could I sub for Kale, went shopping and the store was out. would collard or mustard or turnip greens work?

Collard chips have always worked for me in place of kale. :)

[ferb]

thanks I'm trying the mustard greens with olive oil rubbed and a sprinkle of sea salt.

just got the trial out and it's not too bad. I would add more sea salt (got to get the grinder out to make it a finer blend). just using the OO and salt pretty tasty. going to do the rest of the bunch later have to get some cayenne pepper.
although I may put the pepper flakes in with the sea salt and mix it together.

[Tguch]

Hi, we don't have kale here in France so I am using Swiss chard. So far, (they have been in there for about 7 hours) they just look wilted and dry. I don't have an Excalibur, I have a Stockli round dehydrator that uses central air to dehydrate.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get them crispy? I am leaving them in longer to see if that helps. Any tips on making Swiss chard chips? Or any tips on how to coax a central air dehydrator into producing stellar results? Thanks! :)

[RawKnitster]

I've got no experience drying Swiss chard. Don't know why is wouldn't work. Hopefully another 7 hours will do it. Did you massage a bit of olive oil into it? I know that too much olive oil on kale and it won't get crispy.

[seagle]

I tried these for the first time.....they made me do the happy dance! So Good!

[ferb]

finally got some kale and OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! these are soooooooooooooo good.

[OnMyJourney]

Hmm, I'm going to have to try the collards next time...in addition to my kale of course. I'm just interested to see how they will differ. Collards and Kale are my favorite greens!

[ArcturusXIV]

Kale chips are awesome!

Also, try yucca if you can find it! Mixed with a little olive oil, cayenne, or even a touch of agave nectar!

[passionpulp]

Nutritional yeast isn't raw...

[lovemy2girls]

I just got my first dehydrator, I am going to give these a try! I have the cashews soaking now!

[Sweat.Equity]

Wow is all I can say. I made the coating and tasted a bit of it with some kale. It is so good that while I wait for the chips to dry I am having myself a salad with the coating as dressing and a few cherry tomatoes on the side! YUMMY:dance:!

[RawKnitster]

It does make a good dressing! I especially like it slathered on a raw bread/veggie sandwich. Makes a good dip for a plate of crackers and veggies, too. : )