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Spicy Sriracha Cream Kale Chips

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a close up of vegan Spicy Sriracha Cream Kale Chips

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Kale chips are nothing short of amazing.  You can coat kale with literally any sauce that you can build in your culinary imagination.

Anytime you have a left-over dip or a thick salad dressing… toss it with some torn up kale and make chips out of them.  That is exactly what happened here.

To add heat to this recipe, I used Sriracha sauce (See-rotch-ah). This isn’t a raw sauce, but it is a staple in our fridge. It can be found in just about every grocery store, so it is readily available.

If you don’t wish to use it because it is a processed ingredient. You can any other type of pepper, controlling the level of heat that you desire.

Sriracha uses red jalapeño peppers but loses nearly half of their spiciness in processing, which puts the sauce on par with Fresno and Anaheim peppers.

For years, I bought the stuff, stocked it in the fridge for Bob, but just never gave it a try.  Funny how that happens.  Then one day…ooooh THAT day… not sure what was so different that day to where it caused me to buckle and give it a try, but I did.  I have to say that I fell in … like (not love but a strong like) with it. :) I hope you give it a try and enjoy the chips.  Blessings!

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Kale Prep:

  1. Selecting Kale:
    • Don’t use wilted / old kale; it can have a bitter undertone.
    • I prefer Curly Kale because all of the folds really hold onto the sauce.
  2. Wash and de-stem your kale.
    • Start by washing the kale and blotting it dry.  You can also use a salad spinner if you own one.
    • Make sure you get as much excess water off of the kale as possible.  If you don’t, it will make your sauce “soupy.”  Set aside.
    • Starting at the bottom strip away the leaf leaving behind only the stem.
    • Tear the remaining leaves into pieces that are a tad larger than bite-size since they tend to shrink.
  3. Place the torn kale into a very large bowl.
  4. Pour the Sriracha sauce over the kale and with your hands gently and evenly coat each piece of kale.
    • This is a “hands-on” job.  Stirring with a spoon just doesn’t do the trick.
    • I would suggest removing any jewelry from your fingers.  I have temporarily lost a ring here and there.

Dehydrator Method:

  1. Have the dehydrator trays ready by lining them with non-stick teflex or parchment paper.
    • Don’t use wax paper because food tends to stick to it.
    • Spread all the trays out in advance because soon your hands will be covered in sauce and you don’t want to get it all over.
  2. Place the kale on the non-stick sheets.  You can do this 1 of 2 ways:
    • Lay each piece out semi-flat if you want to create individual pieces.  It’s more time-consuming and chips tend to be a little bit more fragile.
    • Or, drop clumps of coated kale on the sheets.  This will create hardy clusters that are loaded with sauce and flavor.  This is my preference.
  3. Dehydrate at 115 degrees (F) for about 6-8 hrs or until dry.
    • I tend to pull mine out before it gets 100% dry because I like it a little chewy.
    • The dry time is just an estimate.  The climate, humidity, dehydrator, and how full the machine is can all affect how long it will take to dry.
  4. Store in an airtight glass container and be ready to nibble non-stop till the last crumb is gone!
  5. If the kale chips start taking on some humidity from the house, you can place them back into the dehydrator for a few hours at 115 degrees (F).

Oven Method:

  1. Please use as a guide and closely monitor the kale chips as they cook.
  2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees (F), anything higher, and risk burning the chips.
  3. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place the kale chips on the baking sheet in a single layer.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 15 minutes.
    • The bake times will vary based on your oven, but it’s a good starting off point!
  5. Once you pull the tray from the oven, allow the chips to cool on the baking sheet.
  6. Store in an airtight glass container and be ready to nibble non-stop till the last crumb is gone!

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