I am quite certain that never a day goes by when I am not feeling truly grateful about something. Having a wonderful friend named Amie Sue Oldfather frequently makes the list. She is a legend in the raw food world & her ability to create delicious, healthy, organic and, yes, even beautiful creations NEVER ceases to amaze me. She’s all that and she is generous beyond words. She recently gifted the Mrs. Green team with a big container of kale chips & the team went nuts. So we all said thank you and then asked for more – the recipe and to do a guest blog. Any wonder I am grateful? Read on…
“Hi my name is Amie Sue and I am addicted… to kale chips! With my confession made, I can now relax and share a little bit about myself. I have been building a raw food recipe website since 2008. I currently have over 800, mostly original, recipes that I share for free. I love inspiring my readers to add more whole and healthy foods into their diet. I like to think of crowding out the garbage foods with fresh foods that are packed with not only nutrition but amazing flavors. Because lets face it, if it doesn’t taste good, we won’t eat it. We are all on our individual journeys when it comes to health and I believe that it is important to honor our bodies by learning how to listen to its needs and wants. We all know the rap; eat clean, eat organic, eat with consciousness … I would like to add to that… eat with joy, eat with gratitude and during the process have fun! Today I am going to share with you my Spicy Italian Kale Chips. For more ideas that will feed your addiction to kale chips, please visit my site, Nouveauraw.com
Ready to take a road trip with me? If so, have your bags packed when you make this recipe, because you will soon be transported to sunny Italy!
Spices are fundamental to Italian cuisine so using the right combination is crucial. Therefore I used Homemade Dressings Italian Gardening seasoning mix. It is a traditional blend of herbs and spices including basil, oregano and garlic that gives a true Italian flavor. You will find that I tend to use their spice mixes quite often in my recipes. They are 100% natural, no sugar added and they are gluten-free. If you don’t have a premixed Italian seasoning on hand, you can make your own blend. You will find a recipe down below.
I want to share a few tips for making a successful batch of kale chips. Start off with fresh kale. Wilted kale can often taste bitter. Use curly kale, it holds onto the sauce much better which gives it that great crunch. Tear the kale into bite sized pieces. Kale chips can be very messy to eat when you have to take multiple bites from the chip. Wash the kale but really pay attention to the drying process. Wet kale will repel the sauce and make it watery. I make my sauces nice and thick and use a particular ratio of sauce to kale to ensure a hearty chip! With these tips, you should end up with a magnificent kale chip. Enjoy and please keep me posted if you give this recipe a try. I am pretty confident in saying that you just might end up eating a whole head of kale in one sitting so I think it is my responsibility to remind you to drink plenty of water. Dehydrated foods can be dehydrating on the body, so drinking more fluids is recommended. 🙂
Is Your Mouth Watering Yet?
Ingredients: yields 3 cups sauce
- 2 cups cashews, soaked 2+ hours
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (25 g) sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, blitzed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 heads (bunches) curly kale
Preparation:
- Wash and dry the kale then remove the stems. Tear into bite-sized piece and place a large bowl. Set aside.
- After soaking the cashews for 2+ hours, drain and rinse them. Place in the blender and add the vinegar, lemon juice and water. Blend until smooth. This can take 2-4 minutes, depending on the blender.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and oregano. Blending until well mixed. If the sun-dried tomatoes are hard, rehydrated in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and add to the sauce and continue blending.
- In a large bowl pour the blended mixture over the kale and massage in until all the leaves are well coated. I use my hands to assure even coverage. The batter will seem heavy for the amount of kale but trust me, this will make a nicely coated chip.
- Place dehydrator trays lined with the reflex sheets and dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 8 hours. If they aren’t crispy enough, leave them in a bit longer.
- Store in glass containers on the counter. I have no idea what their shelf life is because they disappear way to fast in my house.
Amie Sue
http://www.NouveauRaw.com
More feasts for the eyes:
A Thing of Beauty & Good Health
Kale Chips: The New Popcorn
Amie Sue
http://www.NouveauRaw.com
Final word from the Mrs. Green team? Thank you, Amie Sue. You not only sustain my soul but help sustain our bodies & make green living & eating fun & DELICIOUS!