Kale Chips w/ vegan cheese & garlic

I have recently been doing quite a bit of reading about raw foods. Although I can never imagine eating purely raw foods, I have learned a lot about the benefits of a plant-based, raw diet. Prior to conducting my research, I had always thought that a diet consisting of only raw foods entailed eating raw broccoli by the head, having a salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and that you could never eat desserts. The horror! Ok, well maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration... but you get my point. Like most of us, I was completely and utterly uneducated about the world of raw foods. Luckily, with the help of a few brilliant raw food chefs/ambassadors I am slowly learning the wonders of a raw foods diet.

At the end of this post I will provide you with a list of benefits of eating raw foods. But for now, I will turn your attention to a sinfully, delectable snack.... kale chips. If you are a salty-food person then you will love these. They are crunchy and cheesy with just the right amount of saltiness. And the best part, they are super healthy! When you cook vegetables below 115 degrees, they retain many, if not all, of their nutrients. Similarly, by slowly heating/dehydrating vegetables (and fruits) you are not stripping them of their natural enzymes, making them easier to digest.

I like to call these tasty treats "nature's cheez-its". Yum. The first time I made these I had to restrain myself from eating the entire batch in one sitting. Yes, they are that good.

The best way to make kale chips is in a dehydrator. However, if you do not have one, you can also use the lowest setting of your oven (mine is 150) and it will work just as well (although they won't technically be 'raw').

Kale Chips w/ vegan cheese & garlic

~Active time: 30 minutes~

~Total time: 7 hrs~

Ingredients:

~1 bunch of kale, de-vined and ripped into small, bite-sized pieces 

~1 cup sunflower seeds

~3/4 cup cashews

~1/2 red bell pepper, diced

~1 clove of garlic

~1 Tbsp soy sauce (I like to use Bragg's liquid aminos)

~2 Tbsp red miso, unpasteurized

~1 lemon, juiced w/ insides scraped out

~1 tsp sea salt

Pour enough water over the sunflower seeds and cashews to allow them to float. Let soak 30 - 60 minutes. 

Chop the red bell pepper and garlic into small pieces. Depending on how powerful your blender/food processor is, you may need to mince the garlic and/or chop the pepper into smaller chunks. 

Place all the ingredients (minus the kale) in the blender and mix until smooth. The consistency should be thick, but not chunky. It should also look very creamy. If it is too thick, add a little water. If it is too liquidy, add a few more cashews. 

Pour 2/3 of a cup of the vegan cheese mixture into a large mixing bowl. With a spatula, coat the inside of the bowl with a thick layer of the vegan cheese. This will make it a lot easier to evenly coat the kale. Next, add a handful of the kale pieces to the bowl and mix until evenly coated. If you are using an oven, place the coated kale pieces onto a rimmed baking sheet. If you are using a dehydrator, place the kale on either the parchment paper or thin mesh layer that came with the machine. Continue the process (add cheese, spread, add kale, coat) until all the kale is evenly coated. 

If you are using an oven: bake the kale chips at your oven's lowest baking temperature (me: 150) for 4-5 hours. About halfway through (2 hrs) flip the chips. You will know that they are done when the kale is crispy and the vegan cheese is crunchy (not soft!). 

If you are using a dehydrator: bake the chips at 115 degrees for 7-8 hrs, or until crunchy (see description above). 

How to store your kale chips: 

• Maintaining that delicious crunch of a kale chip can be challenging. Many sources say to store kale chips in an air tight container. I have tried this, and was not pleased at how fast my chips lost their crunch. Recently, I have also heard that the best way to store kale chips is in a brown paper bag. I will definitely be trying this method next time.... let me know if you make these and have luck with either method! 

Food for Thought: 

~ Kale is one of the healthiest foods available. It is loaded with many different vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, C and K. Its high amounts of carotenoids and flavonoids (two different types of antioxidants) are also of extreme importance, as they aid in reducing our risk of developing cancer and heart disease. 

~ Adding a bit of lemon to your kale (as in this recipe) will also help to increase its phytonutrient benefits. In other words, it will up its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. 

~ When foods are heated above ~ 115 degrees, their digestive enzymes are destroyed. These enzymes are very important in utilizing all of the phytonutrients discussed above. If we destroy these enzymes, we are unable to fully digest the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in our foods, and thus lose a large proportion of the nutritional value. 

~ Eating raw foods can help to improve our immune system (vitamins A & C), facilitate better digestion (fiber) and increase our energy. Raw foods also aid in weight loss, as they contain high amounts of the enzymes lipase and protease.... both help with fat distribution, metabolism and eliminating toxins. 

To learn more:

~ Here are two of my favorite raw food enthusiasts: 

   ~Kriss Carr  of the Crazy Sexy Wellness Revolution 

   ~ Ani Phyo 

Sources: 

~ Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

~ The World's Healthiest Foods: www.whfoods.org