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A few years back, I posted a confession on Facebook about all of the healthy foods nutritionists and wellness experts claim to love, but I can’t stand. There were things like zucchini noodles (they are nothing like actual noodles!) and chamomile tea (warm smelly water) on my list. What surprised me was what was on your list! Sweet potatoes, avocados, and kale chips and kale chip recipes came up a lot. Kale chips?How could anyone not love this most perfectly addictive crispy, crunchy, flavourful, super-poop making snack? And then I got to thinking. It must be because they just haven’t 1) made them right, or 2) had mine! Kale chips are delicious and to help the lovers love more and the haters embrace, I’ve put together a guide to making the best kale chips there ever was. Plus, 8 kale chip recipes that I guarantee you will love.
Quick Tips ForMaking The Best Kale Chips Ever
- Keep The Leaves Large: You want to tear away the stems, but keep the leaves themselves a fair size. They’ll shrink once they’re dehydrated so you want them large and in charge.
- Load Up On Topping: Put more topping on than you think.If you’re going with a nut or seed coating, go heavy on it. That’s the best part after all so don’t be shy.
- Mind The Flavouring – it Concentrates: Remember, you’ll be dehydrating out the liquid so that will concentrate the flavour. If using salt, lemon juice and/or vinegar, be mindful of this. You want it to taste slightly mild pre-cooking.
- Single Layer it: Use multiple baking sheets or dehydrator trays if necessary, but keeping your kale to a single layer will ensure even crispness. Nothing quite as yucky as suddenly biting into a cold moist pocket of kale and blended nuts. The struggle is real.
- Use Parchment: Whether it’s a baking sheet or dehydrator tray, line it with parchment paper to keep the kale chips in tact when removing them.
- Keep the Temperature Low: In my opinion, kale chips will always be better in a dehydrator. You want to cook them at the lowest temperature possible if using your oven. It will take a while so be patient. The fastest method is in the dehydrator set at 150 and they’ll be ready in about two hours, but to keep them raw (if that matters to you) 118 or lower is the magic number.
- Eat Them Straight Away: Yes, you can store kale chips in an airtight container, but if there is any humidity, they’ll get limp pretty quick. Eat them straight away, I don’t think that will be hard.
- Drink Water! You can easily knock back an entire head of kale when crisped into chips. That’s a whole lot of fiber. Get that water in and you’ll enjoy some super poops!
Our friends and family can make fun of our kale-loving ways all they want. We will not be swayed by our love and devotion to this hearty cruciferous veggie that stands at the heart of health food mockery. Kale is awesome and that’s why we love it.
Isn’t too much kale bad for us?
As you likely noticed in the media, health debates can be heated. And then we hear silly rumours that too much kale and green smoothies are bad for us.Here’s the thing: Kale is not what’s building disease in our bodies. The leader in that department is sugar! You can eat all the organic vegetables you want, all the quinoa, pastured meat, home-fermented kimchi and such, but as long as you’re hooked on sweetness, optimal health is extremely difficult.If we can begin to enjoy more savoury meals and snacks, then our taste and desire for sweet treats will naturally diminish. We’ll feel satisfied simply with the naturally occurring sweetness that comes in a whole apple, an orange or a handful of fresh blueberries.
Are you ready for the kale chip adventure that is about to unfold? Put these 8 kale chip recipes on your ‘to-make’ list.
Dehydrator Kale Chip Recipes
All of the below kale chip recipes will work in an oven on its lowest setting. Times will vary.
Directions for Kale Chips: Dehydrator Method
- Place all marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add water as needed just in order to blend. Remember you will be drying this out again after so you want to avoid adding excess liquid if possible.
- With your hands, mix together the marinade, massaging gently.
- Transfer to dehydrator rack or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Stick in your dehydrator on medium-high setting or in your oven on its lowest temperature with the oven door left slightly open.
Spicy Thai Ginger Kale Chips
1 head of kale, washed, dried and torn into large pieces¼ cup raw almonds (or almond butter)1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice1 Tbsp tamari1 tsp raw honey1 inch fresh ginger, grateddash cayenne
Macro-Japan
1 head of kale, washed, dried and torn into large pieces2 sheets of nori, cut with scissors into small pieces1/4 cup black sesame seeds (or white will work too)2 Tbsp miso paste1 Tbsp maple syrup1 lemon, juiced1 Tbsp sesame oil2tsp tamari1/2 tsp sea salt
Nacho Cheeseless Kale Chips
1 head of kale, washed, dried and torn into large pieces½ lemon, juiced1/2 red pepper1/3cup tahini or sesame seeds3 Tbsp nutritional yeastSea salt to taste
Sour Cream & Onion Free Kale Chips
1 head of kale, washed, dried and torn into large pieces1 cup raw cashews2 Tbs apple cider vinegarPinch of sea salt1/2 cup water (or just as much as you need to make this mix creamy)
Dijon DillKale Chips
1 head of kale, washed, dried and torn into large pieces½ cup fresh dill¼ cup nutritional yeast2 Tbsp dill pickle juice (yep)1 cup cashews½ red bell pepper1 Tbsp Dijon mustard½ cup waterSea salt to tasteCayenne (optional)
Dill Pickle Kale Chips
1 head of kale, washed, dried and torn into large pieces1/2 cup raw cashews2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar2 Tbsp dill pickle brine1 bunch of dillPinch of sea salt1/4 cup water (or just as much as you need to make this mix creamy)
Apple Cinnamon Kale Chips (Nut Free)
1 head of kale½ cup sesame seeds or tahini1 whole apple + 1 apple grated or spiralled on your spiral slicer¼ cup coconut nectar½ water or more in order to blend smooth1 tsp cinnamonpinch of sea salt
Oven Baked Kale Chips
The below recipe will also work in a dehydrator.Print
Oven Baked Lemon Kale Chips
- Author: Meghan Telpner
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
A crunchy low-glycemic snack that will fill that pit in your stomach before your next meal and curb sugar cravings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 head of kale
- 1/2 a lemon juiced, or about 2 Tbsp
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Pull kale away from stem, wash and pat dry with a clean towel.
- In a large mixing bowl using your hands, mix the kale, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt together.
- Lay kale out in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Check to see how they’re doing. If they’re still soft, continue baking, checking every 5 minutes until crispy.
- Allow to cool and then watch out! You’ve never eaten a head of kale so fast in all your life.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Sides + Snacks
I do believe you are now properly all set-up and ready for a lifetime of kale chip eating adventures. So for those of you who were kale chip haters, do I have you convinced to give it one more go with these kale chip recipes?
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