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Garlic Kale Chips

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raw vegan Garlic Kale Chips that are coated with amazing sauces

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free ~

If you are a garlic lover, these Raw Garlic Kale Chips are for you!  They are a wonderful staple to have in the pantry to satisfy that crunchy desire in your raw food diet.  I had these in the dehydrator through the night, and I tell you what…this house was filled with the rich aroma of garlic come morning!

I have been 100% raw lately (always high raw prior), and whenever I go 100% there is one of many things that I notice, my sense of smell heightens tremendously!  But to be honest,  you don’t need a super sniffer to smell the garlic in these.  I have always been an avid lover of my Cheesy Kale Chips, but these, well these, are right up there with those.  Delicious and addictive!!!

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.

Sauce Prep:

  1. After soaking the sunflower seeds, drain and discard the water.
  2. In a high-powered blender combine the; sunflower seeds, lemon juice, water, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, and spices. 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:

  1. Place the torn kale into a very large bowl.
  2. Pour in 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:

  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.  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 it 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!

10 thoughts on “Garlic Kale Chips

  1. Chrissy says:

    Guess who is going shopping for some Kale first thing this morning??? Enabler that you are ;o)

    Sounds soooo yummy

    • amie-sue says:

      Haha You have been warned that it is GARLICY! haha I recommend sharing, if you know what I mean. :) Let me know how it turns out. Blessings, amie sue

  2. Chrissy says:

    Well …. I made these and its safe to say that I am very very well protected from vampires ;o) !!!

    These are delicious !!!! As these were cooking I had a hard time keeping my nit pickers out of them ! Yummy !!! Keep the recipes coming Amie Sue :o)

    Chrissy

    • amie-sue says:

      lol Chrissy…well I warned you. :) I am so glad that you and your nit pickers enjoyed these. I just made 6 more kale bunches of them! Plus, I made 6 dehydrator trays of the same sauce on spinach. Those turned out great too. My first choice would be the kale due to the sturdiness but the spinach was a win. Thanks for posting Chrissy!

  3. Heather says:

    We (Kiddos & I ) are headed to the kitchen right now to try out this yummy recipe…we will let you know the results:)

    • amie-sue says:

      Wonderful Heather!! I am confident that you will have little kale lovers jumping around your feet when they are done! It’s also a great recipe for them to get involved with; tears up the kale, and mixing in the sauce. Use a really really big bowl, pour the sauce over the kale with clean little hands let them dive in and mix/massage the sauce into the kale…. great connection for them in the food they eat. Keep me posted!! Blessings, amie sue

  4. Leahbeth says:

    Hi, I just bought a dehydrator yesterday. First time for me dehydrating. The first thing I made were these, just pulled them out and can’t stop munching..lol
    Thank you and love your recipes. I’m a total newbie to eating raw btw. I’m just kinda of winging it, but it’s fun:)

    • amie-sue says:

      Welcome Leahbeth… I know how hard it is to leave the kale chips alone… next to impossible! hehe Enjoy and keep me posted how it all goes for you! Have a blessed weekend. amie sue

  5. Fran says:

    Hello Amie-Sue, thank you so much for all your delicious recipes, your generosity in sharing them is phenomenal and I am so glad to have found your site.

    My question: my husband is not very good with nutritional yeast and it is in so many “cheesy” type dishes. Have you any ideas on a substitute please?

    Thanks for your time …..Fran :)

    • amie-sue says:

      Good morning Fran,

      Thank you so much for the kind words.

      Nutritional yeast is within in its own category when it comes to imparting a cheesy flavor in foods. There isn’t much that can replace the flavor. Sometimes you can use miso, raw vinegar, lemon juice, etc… when trying to get the “tang” of cheesy but it won’t give it the end cheese flavor. You can also ferment part of the recipe first to increase that cheese flavor and boost up the nutrients.

      Sorry that there isn’t a straight black and white answer. Blessings, amie sue

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