Raw Kale Chips - (Dehydrated)

I love kale chips!  I buy them every time I have a chance to pick some up at a health food store!  I don't own a dehydrator or I would have been making them myself for years now.  Lucky for me, a sweet friend of mine offered to loan me hers last weekend AND a yummy recipe so I could give it a try!  They turned out simply delicious and now I'm thinking of a investment in a dehydrator!!  It does take some time, but the good thing is once you press "power", you just let it go and you don't have to hover over it all day!

Nutritional Yeast

Oh, before I get started, I wanted to mention that my recipe calls for Nutritional Yeast- this is what it looks like.  A bit lit potato flakes, light-weight and a bit more yellowish, but almost like dehydrated potato flakes!
No, I didn't know a thing about nutritional yeast, but I have been seeing it in a few recipes here and there of late.  It is a deactivated yeast used by many vegetarians as a source of protein and some brands have also added B12 to their yeast.  It has a rather cheesy flavor which makes it a perfect choice for these raw chips!
You can find Nutritional Yeast at most health food stores.

First, it is important to buy some really nice organic Kale.  Sometimes you can find this at your local grocery store or you an always find it at a health food store. Wash the kale, shake off excess water and then cut out the center ribs with a very sharp knife.  The tear the leaves into bite size pieces in preparation for dehydrating.


Allow leaves to air dry thoroughly on a dishtowel or spin in a salad spinner to dry.
While your kale is drying, prepare the dressing/seasoning for the kale.  Just use a small bowl and add all the ingredients together using a spoon, stirring until well blended.  Once you have the seasoning blend ready and the kale is dry, you are ready to season the kale.  Do so by taking a handful of kale and placing in the seasoning bowl; use your hands to coat each leaf; making sure to coat all the nooks and crannies.

They should be coated but not dripping.  Remove these to a separate bowl and continue till all the leaves are coated.    Once they are all coated, start filling the dehydrator trays.  You don't need to leave much space in between leaves, they will shrink anyway, so pack them in!
Set your dehydrator on 115 and turn on the power!

Kale Chips!

After about 6 hours, your kale should be done, nice and crispy.  If you take a piece out and it's not crunchy throughout, leave it for another 30 min. and test one again.  If your kale was really thick or you got a lot of seasoning on some, it may take a bit longer.  You can remove those that are done and let others go another hour if need be.

Double the batch if you like- there are never enough!  Ours were gone in 1 day!  Delicious!

If you'd like the recipe, feel free to drop me a email at d_dawson63@hotmail.com!