I’m always complaining about not having any kale in this region of the world, but when we do get it, I forget and then realise I need to use it up fast.

Kale is very popular in the raw food kingdom particular in the form of green smoothies, green juices and massaged kale salads.

But of course by far, I think, the phenomenon of the kale chip is the most popular. Even if you don’t have a dehydrator, some companies do already sell them pre made, but wow some of them are a little pricey. For Australians check out Loving Earth and in the US, there are plenty of varieties avaiable in Whole Foods.

Kale is superior to other greens as it doesn’t contain oxalic acid like spinach and chard, which can impact absorbtion of calcium, and because of the calcuium in kale being more bioavailable to the body than dairy it is a fantastic prevantative against osteoporisis and other bone degenerative conditions.

Plus it is REALLY easy to grow – year round! (unless you live in the desert like us here in Saudi but we did ok in the cooler months in our sandy soil)

I guarantee if you’ve never tried kale chips and you have a dehydrator, that you won’t find these green chippies will last too long after they’ve come out of your dehydrator.

Such a great TV snack, lovely to feed the kiddos instead of doritos or wonderful to serve to company. Or if you are like me, you’ll eat them all to yourself. Oh and even thought the name suggests cheese – they are completely dairy free. Thanks to the wonder of nutritional yeast!

I’ve made cheezy kale chips before but I’ve amended my recipe and even though they don’t look pretty, I feel this one is the best yet!

This recipe does contain nuts, but I am planning to try out a nut free version with seeds as well. Has anyone had success with that?

Cheezy Kale Chips

2 bunches of kale (for us that was 10 stalks of kale)

1 red pepper 

1 cup of nutritional/savoury yeast

1 cup of soaked (1-2 hours) cashews

1/4 cup water

1 T lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

dash of cayenne pepper or to taste depend on spice tolerance, but don’t forget, as the kale chips release water in the dehyration process the falavours will be intensified.

Blend all ingredients save for the kale in a high speed blender until smooth to form the cheezy sauce.

Take the kale and remove the leaves from the spine. Reserve the spines to add to your next green juice.

Tear the leaves into bite size, chip sizes, and place in a large bowl.

Pour the blended cheezy sauce onto the kale and get your hands dirty. Ensure you massage every single leaf until they are evenly coated.

Place the kale pieces on teflex sheets ready to dehydrate. Ensure you space the kale pieces adequately so the air can circulate freely around them and not clump together as they dry.

Dehydrate the kale for 8-10hours or until crunchy at 115ºF

Then come back here and tell me how long they lasted in your household