Sweet Miso Kale Chips
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
Miso is usually a soy product. Personally, I use Chickpea miso since I am not supposed to have soy in the diet. Each teaspoon of either one contains millions of active probiotic microorganisms and enzymes. Miso has a nutritious balance of natural carbohydrates, essential oils, minerals, vitamins, and protein of the highest quality, and contains all of the essential amino acids.
Unpasteurized miso is a living fermented food containing a vast store of natural digestive enzymes, Lactobacillus, and other probiotic microorganisms, which aid in the digestion and assimilation of all foods. On top of this, because of its low pH, it is able to get past the stomach acid intact allowing for the active probiotics to effectively enter the small intestine.
Miso also contains enzymes that inhibit the overgrowth of bad bacteria within the digestion system. I tend to use South River Miso as it is a fermented, unpasteurized, living food. It will continue to ferment in the jar. This may cause pressure to build up and, especially during warm weather, leakage may occur.
This is normal and attests to the fact that is a living food, loaded with beneficial probiotics. I usually find this brand at a local health food store. So check your surrounding stores. If you can’t find it and you want to give it a try, you can order it from here. I am not being paid for this endorsement; I just like to share products that I get excited about. :)
Ingredients:
makes 3 cups sauce
You will use 1 3/4 cup of this sauce for this recipe.
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp Mellow White Miso, chickpea
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp raw agave nectar
- 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked 2 hours
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp mustard seed powder
- 1 head curly kale
- 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.
- 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.
Sauce Prep:
- After soaking the cashews, drain and discard the soak water.
- In a high-powered blender combine the; water, miso, lemon juice, agave, vinegar, cashews, onion powder, onion flakes, black pepper, and mustard powder. Blend until the sauce is creamy smooth.
- Due to the volume and the creamy texture that we are going after, it is important to use a high-powered blender. It could be too taxing on a lower-end model.
- Create a vortex in the blender; this will help ensure that the sauce is getting fully blended into a creamy texture.
- What is a vortex? Look into the container from the top and slowly increase the speed from low to high, the batter will form a small vortex (or hole) in the center. High-powered machines have containers that are designed to create a controlled vortex, systematically folding ingredients back to the blades for smoother blends and faster processing… instead of just spinning ingredients around, hoping they find their way to the blades.
- If your machine isn’t powerful enough or built to do this, you may need to stop the unit often to scrape down the sides.
- This process can take 1-3 minutes, depending on the strength of the blender. Keep your hand cupped around the base of the blender carafe to feel for warmth. If the batter is getting too warm., stop the machine and let it cool, then proceed once cooled.
Assembly:
- Place the torn kale into a very large bowl.
- Pour tin the sauce 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:
- 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.
- 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. More time consuming and chips tend to a 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.
- 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.
- Store in an airtight glass container and be ready to nibble non-stop till the last crumb is gone!
- 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:
- Please use as a guide and closely monitor the kale chips as they cook.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees (F), anything higher and risk burning the chips.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place the kale chips on the baking sheet in a single layer.
- 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!
- Once you pull the tray from the oven, allow the chips to cool on the baking sheet.
- Store in an airtight glass container and be ready to nibble non-stop till the last crumb is gone!
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
What is the shelf life of this brand? I have one in the fridge for over a year now.
Shelf life of what Trudy?
Thank you so much Amie-Sue for all of these lovely recipes. I just made the sweet miso kale chips and they are beyond delicious!
Your welcome Tanya. So happy to hear that you liked the recipe. :) Have a blessed day, amie sue
I have tried several of your recipes now (my 40th birthday cake was your deep chocolate & blackberry cheesecake) and have loved them, but some of the ingredients can be a touch hard to source in the UK such as Chickpea Miso. I made the sauce up with rice & soya bean miso from Clearspring, Sweet White Miso.
The kale chips have just gone into the dehydrator and all I can say is that if they are anywhere near as nice as the sauce is they won’t survive until my husband gets home. I can’t beleive how good that sauce tastes just by itself and has sorted out what my evening meal is tonight! I shall serve the remaining sauce, slightly warmed, over some pasta shells. (I’m vegan with raw food recipes incorporated into my diet).
So far it is the best ‘cheese’ sauce I have come across – now just to make it slightly less peppery and slightly less sweet and I will have a wonderful cheese sauce alternative.
thank you & love the site.
Happy b-lated birthday Emma!! I hope you had a blessed celebration and many many more to come!
I just loved hearing about your experience with the kale chips and how you found a great way to substitute ingredients that are available to you in the UK! Great job! Have a wonderful week, amie sue
Hi there,
Does the probiotic organisms survive the heat of the dehydrator?
Thanks
Great question Alice. The first thing we have to look at is the fact that we are using a raw form of miso. Not all forms are raw and unpasturized.
In my research I see that many traditional cooks who use miso in their diet are careful not to let the miso come to a boil once added to a soup. They all just state that the water needs to be hot enough to dissolve it.
So, when using raw miso (unpasturized), I would treat it like any other living food that I want to remain raw. And that is to keep it under the temp of 115 degrees. This might be a good question to present to the manufacture of the brand that you are using to see what they say,
Have a great weekend, amie sue
these are just wonderful a new favorite in my house, my 5 yr old son says this and the teriyaki are a tie for his favorite while my 3 yr old daughter says its the cheesy all the way! we dont use the frilly kale all the time we sometimes use the broad leaf kale, dino tale, desteam it and lay it on the dehydrator tray then coat one side of the kale, this makes for a thick crunchy chip! we also use big spinach leaves and are about to try it out with collards!
Rain, that was music to my ears. You are blessed with such sweet little ones that have developed a taste for healthier foods. You are a good moma! I enjoy using different greens as well. Makes it nice to use what is one hand or in season. Thank you for sharing this. It just tickled me. :) Have a wonderful week, amie sue
This is to die for I took out the black pepper and put in 3/4 of the amount in cayenne pepper and then after i tossed I sprinkled some Himalayan salt for a sweet and sour taste oh my goodness it was hard to put into the dehydrator i was eating it so fast Thanks Ami Sue
Good evening Debbie, so wonderful to hear from you. Thank you commenting. :) I find most kale chips difficult to get into the dehydrator before gobbling them up. And then there is the taste testing through out the drying process. oy-vey. Have mercy upon us. hehe Have a blessed evening Debbie. amie sue :)