Cheesy kale chips might be one of the most brilliant snacks that has ever come out of the modern kitchen. I mean, how can something so tasty be that healthy? It still blows my mind.

This green goddess snack is a powerhouse of healthy fibers, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and a great source of calcium. In fact, calcium from kale is absorbed better than calcium from milk (1). Another good reason to enjoy kale chips.

Do you know the history of the cheesy kale chips?

It all started in Califonia, US, where the woman Penny Ann aka Blessing had an idea. During a meditation she got the vision of selling a new type of healthy chips – kale chips. A while before that she had been introduced to the green chips through her friend Karyn Calabrese, owner of the first raw food restaurant in Chicago.

As Ann knew that Karyn was not going to sell kale chips in the near future, she acted on her idea. In 2002 she started selling her own version of kale chips at farmers markets and in 2004 she founded the first kale chips production company, Alive & Radiant. 2 years later she launched her kale chips in stores and soon the kale chips went viral. They become a huge success, especially the cheesy version and today you can find whole shelves of kale chips with different flavours in the States. 

Unfortunatly it’s still rare to find cheesy kale chips in Denmark, so I normally make my own version. Luckily they are quite easy to make yourself.

Cheesy Kale Chips Recipe

Notes: The recipe below was created to make cheesy kale chips that taste great and have a tolerable calorie content (as the “cheesy”sauce is made with cashews, they can end up being quite energy dense). If you don’t care about the calories, you can make and add more sauce (add 50% more) and get an extra cheesy version.

If you like this cheesy kale chips recipe and want more healthy vegan recipes and inspiration, then find me on instagram – @rosehiplife <3

Cheesy Kale Chips Recipe

 

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Ingredients

• 200 g of kale leaves, removed from the stem
• "Cheesy" sauce:
• 50 g of cashew (1 dl or 1 and ¾ oz)
• 50 g of sunflower seeds
• ½ big red bell pepper (90g)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 10 g nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 g of yellow onion (zittau) or 10g of red onion
• Additional water if the sauce is to thick for your blender to spin it around.

Instructions

1. Wash the kale leaves, rip them into bite size pieces and place them in a big bowl.
2. Blend the cashews and sunflower seeds in a blender until you have a coarsely ground flour. Then add the rest of the ingredients (except the kale) and blend it well. If you use soaked nuts and seeds, then just blend it all together at the same time. If your blender has a hard time mixing the ingredients, you can add a little water to make it thinner.
3. Add the cheesy "dressing" to the bowl and mix it well with the kale pieces so every piece gets a layer of dressing.
4. Spread out the kale on baking sheet covered with baking paper and bake them in the oven** at 212 °F (100 °C) for about 20-30 mins until they are dry and crispy (keep a close eye on them - so they don't burn). You can also dry the cheesy kale chips in a dehydrater at 104-118 °F (40-48 °C* ) for 9-12 hours, until they are dry and crispy.

Notes

* I normally dehydrate the cheesy kale chips on a silent program that runs between 107-118 °F (42-48 °C) for around 9-11 hours. If you want them to be raw and dry them below 42 C, it might take an hour or two more.
** Avoid giving the kale chips more than 212 °F (100 °C) as this will make them burn more easily. Just a slight brown/burned touch can give them s a bad taste.

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