Why Eat Kale Chips?

Is kale the new wonder food?

People are always talking about how great broccoli is for you - well kale kicks broccoli’s butt when it comes to good health comparison. Yes, broccoli IS great for you, yet kale is leaps and bounds better, packed with the vitamins like A, K, B6, as well as niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, calcium, iron, protein, magnesium, and more. 

Many people include kale into their diet to help lower cholesterol and decrease the chance of getting cancers, such as breast cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, or prostate cancer. This might vegetable is also a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, naturally detoxifying the body, keeping it healthy and full of energy. Raw kale creates enzymes to cleanse the liver, which helps detoxify cancer causing issues in the body.

Besides eating kale raw or steamed, let's open our options to a wonderful, tasty treat - kale chips! It's become quite the rage recently, so if you search online, you'll find an assortment for kale chip recipes.  

One of the best recipes I've found is from Erika at A Little Insanity Blog.  As a wife and mother of 3 boys, she strives to make healthy, raw foods for her family. Here's Erika's recipe:

Raw Maui Kale Chips in the VitaMix & Dehydrator

Soak Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Macadamia Nuts (this gives it the creamy, dreamy taste!)
• 1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
• 1/4 Cup Cashews
• 1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds (optional)
• 5 Sun Dried Tomatoes
• 4 Dates (pits removed)
• Approx. 1 1/2 Cups Water to Cover the Soaked Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

• 4-5 Heads of Green Leafy Kale (Washed & De-Veined – see image)
• 1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion
• 1 Single Stalk of Celery
• 1 Carrot
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Braggs Aminos (or to taste)
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or to taste)
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Cup Nutritional Yeast (this gives it the ‘cheesy’ flavor) – Add Last!
• Additional 1/4 – 1/2 Cup Water – only if needed.

Procedure:
1. Place the Nuts, Seeds, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Dates into a medium sized bowl and place just enough water to cover them (approx 1 1/2 cup).  Let soak for approx. 1/2 hour.

2. While Nuts are soaking, Wash the Kale and strip the leaves off the Center stalk or ‘Vein; and set them aside.  (We will not be using the stalk/veins for this recipe, so be sure to add them to your Dirty Juice or Compost Bin!)

3. Once Nuts are done soaking, dump the veggies & nuts (including the water) into the VitaMix, then Blend on High until smooth.

4. Add the remaining ingredients into the VitaMix with the Nutritional Yeast last.

5. Blend everything until smooth… using your VitaMix Tamper to mix it around as needed.  Feel free to add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup water if the mixture is too thick.  Ideally the mixture should have a consistency like mustard, but smooth.

6. Scoop approx. 1 Cup of Mixture into a large bowl – lining the sides and bottom of bowl.

7. Add in a couple of handfuls of Kale Leaves to the bowl, and Coat each piece of Kale generously with mixture.

8. Transfer onto your lined Excalibur Dehydrator trays (I use the Paraflexx non-stick liners for the Excalibur)

9. Dehydrate at 125-135 degrees for 1-2 hours, then reduce heat to 115 degrees for an additional 20-24 hours or until all of the Kale is very crispy and flakes if crushed.

10. When done, remove the chips from the Dehydrator and store in airtight containers or Ziploc bags in the fridge until use.

Yields:  Approximately 4-5 dehydrator trays of Chips (which fills up 3-4 large Gallon Ziploc)

Preparation & Cooking Time: 30 Minutes Prep & Soak.  Approx. 20-24 hours dehydrating time. (your dehydrating time may vary depending on humidity, temperature, mixture, etc…)

You can check out her video below:
All ingredients I used in the video were Raw and Organic. 

Do you have a favorite kale chips recipe?  Do share!!!