Kale Chip Nirvana

I'm publishing this more for me than for you, I apologize for my selfishness, but you should be grateful that it benefits you as well, right? I created this recipe last year, and it was delicious! But I have since near lost it altogether several times. I am putting out into the expanse of the great world wide web in hopes that I will never lose it again. This recipe is nutty, cheesy (but Vegan and also Raw) and altogether delicious! It is also a fantastic base to build on. Experiment with different spice blends, or some hard cheeses (not Vegan anymore, but very delicious!) Don't forget that kale is an AMAZING super-food, so when you get those salty carb cravings that sabotage your waistline, reach for this super amazing "chip" that will fool your cravings for sure! So here it is, I don't know how much more lead-in I can muster...it's late on a Saturday...

Kale Chip Nirvana

Those green onion looking things are garlic scapes,
 look for them at farmers markets!

3/4 c sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
1/4 c tahini paste
1/4 c garlic scapes OR 3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbs tamari, aged soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1/2 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 c water (or as needed to make sure it blends and is pastey)

1-2 bunches of curly leaf kale (depending on the size of the leaves) rinsed and dried

Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor, adding water as needed just to aid in blending. Set paste aside. Rip or cut kale into 2 inch pieces, approximately. I found the larger pieces don't hold the yummy flavor coating as well as you bite into it. Coat each piece evenly with the paste flavoring. I found that thin layers work best, too thick and it isn't tasty. Place pieces of coated kale on dehydrator racks, ensuring the pieces do not overlap at all. You may need to spray oil on your racks, depending on how sticky prone your racks are. Don't want to leave any yummy flavor behind.

Dehydrate kale chips at between 105-115 degrees for APPROXIMATELY 10-11 hours. In reality, this time differs every time, as it is greatly affected by how much moisture is in the leaves, in the paste and how humid the air is. Be sure to watch these carefully, starting at maybe hours 8-9. You want the chips to be crispy, the paste completely dried as well as the leaves. If there is any stem piece connected to the leaf, make sure this is completely dried, as this will re-hydrate the chip once removed from the dehydrator. Re-hydrated kale chips are NOT as tasty.

This is BEFORE I figured out that smaller
 pieces work better, do as I say, not as I do!

Once the chips are dried to crispy, remove them from racks and store them in an air-tight container. I have found that hard plastic containers work much better than baggies, as they can be damaged easily in bags. Also, storing them in the fridge helps to keep the chips fresh. But if you're anything like me, these little buggers won't last for very long!