Put the Cheetos Aside For Cheesy Kale Chips

My most-made recipe of all time would have to be VeganYumYum's Hurry Up Alfredo, a vegan cheese sauce made with cashews and nutritional yeast. One day, I had the inspired idea to use this beloved recipe as the base for a cheesy kale chip. But how would the unlikely list of ingredients (including coconut oil and soy sauce) translate into a cheesy topping for a vegetable chip? To my amazement, it was like bread on butter; this cheesy sauce belongs on a kale chip.

Slow cooking the chips in a low-heat oven is like baking them in a dehydrator. They retain their beautiful green hue while crisping up into Cheetos that nature intended. Vegans and nonvegans alike can attest to the absolutely addictive flavor of the cheese sauce, which as it turns out, tastes remarkably umami and salty, like Parmesan cheese or aged gouda.

Enjoy the crisps immediately out of the oven, off of the baking sheet itself . . . maybe while hovering over your stovetop. You'll discover it's near impossible to transfer these kale chips to a proper serving vessel. Many kale chip fanatics unabashedly confess to eating the whole batch before the chips have even cooled!

Related:

Salmon With Crispy Cabbage and Kale Is a 1-Pan Wonder

Cheesy Vegan Kale Chips

Inspired by VeganYumYum

Notes

Make sure the kale is completely dry before you attempt to dress it. If it is wet, the cheesy mixture won't stick to the leaves. Use a salad spinner for an easy way to dry the kale.

To keep the kale chips crisper for longer, use a silica packet from your vitamin jar to prevent the kale from absorbing moisture in the air and becoming soggy.

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil or vegetable oil
   1/3 cup unsalted, raw cashews
   1/2 lemon, juiced
   3/4 cup nutritional yeast
   2 tablespoons soy sauce
   2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
   2 garlic cloves
   1 bunch curly kale, stems removed and broken up into 2-inch pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, grind coconut oil and cashews together until mixture resembles peanut butter. Add and process all remaining ingredients except for kale.
3. In a large, clean, and dry bowl, combine cheesy mixture with kale. With your fingers, rub cheese mixture into kale leaves until each piece is thoroughly coated.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until kale is dry and crisp; there should be no moistness. If a few larger pieces are not cooked thoroughly, return the undercooked pieces to the oven for another 20 minutes, or until they are dry. Store kale chips in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Information

Category

Snacks, Vegetables

Cuisine

North American

Yield

Serves 2-4