Un-Cheesy Kale Chips

These Kale chips are one of my favorite snacks that really pack a health punch!

What kind of punch are we talking about? Well to start, Kale is packed with Vitamins K, A, and C, Iron, Calcium (per calorie, it has more calcium than milk), powerful antioxidants, fiber and sulfur (making it a great detox food too).

Then add Nutritional Yeast loaded with B12, Folic Acid, Fiber, protein, raw Cashews packed with copper, magnesium, the heart healthy fat Oleic Acid and antioxidants, and Red Bell Peppers full of Vitamins C, A, B6 and Lycopene. Now there's a health punch for you!

This tasty snack is perfect to replace that pesky last night crunchy chip craving! Not only will you get loaded with nutrients, but they are dehydrated (or baked) not fried. I love taking these on road trips too!

Want to make them for your kids lunches, but need to follow a No-Nuts school policy? Raw sunflower seeds make an excellent substitute for the cashews!

Try and use Organic Kale and Red Peppers since these veggies tend to have very high pesticide residues when grown conventionally.

Un-Cheesy Kale Chips

2 bunches kale, washed and dried
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours
1 large red bell pepper
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
sea salt & black pepper to taste

*Tear kale leaves into bit sized pieces. Put in a large bowl and set aside. (Leave tough stems out)
*In a food processor, puree cashews with lemon juice to a hummus-like consistency. Add all remaining ingredients (except kale) and pulse until smooth.
*Pour cashew mixture over kale pieces, and use your hands to massage the mixture into each kale leaf.
*Place the kale pieces one by one on your dehydrator trays. They can be fairly close together. Dehydrate for about 8 hours, rotating trays every 2 hours for even drying.
*Alternate cooking method:  Place kale on a baking sheet and bake at 150°F for about 1 hour (check every 20 minutes to ensure they don"t burn).
*Store in an air-tight container and enjoy!



Happy snacking!

Eryn