A Snack for Kale-Fearing Friends

Growing up, I was a very picky and plain eater and my diet consisted largely of dairy and processed foods (more about that here). Many of my meals were shared with my best friend Erica, who was also quite uninterested in most fruits and vegetables. One of our favorite snacks were potato chips with a sour cream and onion dip made from a freeze dried packet. It was full of preservatives and completely lacking nutrition value.

Fifteen years later, both Erica and I have expanded our palates but she’s not quite as big of a fan of kale as I am. Since creating this blog I’ve been talking to her about what dishes she would and would not want to eat and I was curious to see if I could come up with a recipe for kale that we would be able to enjoy together. I thought back to our childhood favorites and my Sour Kream and Onion Kale Chips were born! These chips are completely raw and full of Vitamins A, C and B-12. Enjoy them on their own or dipped in salsa!

Sadly I won’t be seeing Erica until the end of the month…I can’t wait to see if these chips can help my friend love kale as much as I do!

Sour Kream and Onion Kale Chips

makes 4-6 servings

What you’ll need:

1 bunch kale
3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 30 minutes and drained
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbs yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs parsley, chopped
3 tbs nutritional yeast*
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs gluten-free tamari (or soy sauce if not gf)
2 tbs water
juice of half a lemon

*nutritional yeast, aka brewer’s yeast, provides a “cheesy” flavor and is packed with Vitamin B-12. Find it online here or at health food stores.

Directions:

Rinse kale, remove from stem, break into 2-3″ pieces and place in a large bowl.
Combine all remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Pour mixture over kale and massage with hands until every piece of kale is covered.
Transfer to dehydrator trays, spreading out kale chips so they do not overlap.
Dehydrate at 110° for 4 hours, rotate trays and dehydrate another 4-6 hours. When the kale chips are completely crunchy remove from dehydrator and store in an airtight container. They’ll stay good for 1-2 weeks but I bet they won’t last that long!