Raw Kale Chips

I LOVE kale... it's so nutritious, so versatile, so pretty and wicked cheap! Unless of course you're at whole foods wanting to buy some kale chips and then it's like $7 an ounce - say what?...  Kale chips baked in the oven are one of the easiest and cheapest snacks to make and you end up with a delicious and nutritious snack that's as addictive as potato chips without all the greasy fat and starchy carbs! I've made these chips in the oven numerous times and they've always come out amazing.  Today, however, since it's officially been a year and seven months since I bought my food dehydrator and have yet to use it... I decided to christen it with a batch of RAW kale chips.  Takes a little longer than the baked chips but supposedly retains more of the live enzymes and nutrients and besides, I needed a good excuse to finally use this dehydrator!

I had approximately a bunch and a half of kale to work with so that's how much I used for this recipe.   I used the really curly green kale because that seems to be the only kind my local store ever has in stock.  After removing the stalks and tearing into 1-2 inch pieces,  I had enough to fill a large 8 quart bowl.  I washed and drained the kale pieces and then returned them to my bowl.

In my blender I mixed up the following:

• 1/4 Cup plus 1 Tablespoon of Bragg's Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Himalayan Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Bragg's Sea Kelp Seasoning
• 1 Clove Garlic, Minced

Blend on high until the mixture becomes opaque and slightly viscous.  Pour the mixture over the kale pieces and then using your hands, mix well so that all pieces of the kale are coated evenly.  Allow this to sit for a about 10 minutes and then mix again.  

Spread the kale pieces out evenly on the dehydrator trays, trying to keep them in a single layer and as flat as possible.  Now in order for them to qualify as 'Raw' you need to process at a temp lower than 115F which is much lower than the recommended setting on most machines for fruits and veggies.  At 115F or lower it will take several hours for the chips to finish - there are many factors involved (size of the pieces, how much you have in the machine, etc. ) but it will take somewhere around 4-5 hours, maybe longer at this temp.  Leave them in as long as it takes for them to become crispy and not chewy.

  

They should be a nice deep shade of green, brittle and crispy - they'll literally melt on your tongue - sooooo GOOD!!!  If you don't care about having 'Raw' chips and just want a nice, evenly baked chip you can process at a higher temp (135F-160F) and it will only take 2-3 hours or less.  These will store in an air tight container for several weeks - if they make it that long.  Yummy!!