Can You Actually Eat This Stuff??

As a child I remember  going  to restaurants to eat and getting plates of food with some kind of of leafy green on the side  usually accompanied with a lemon wedge  OR the greens would be  used as a place mat for containers of  dips and  condiments so they would not slide around.  I would ask "What is this, Is this edible?" I was told YES, it's KALE, but I  never did try it, I never saw anybody try it.

 It wasn't until I moved to New York to  attended the Culinary Institute  that I learned a little bit more about greens and started using them.  One of my favorite ways to use Kale is dehydrated in the form of a chip that has been coated with a vegan cheese sauce....DELICIOUS! 

Cheezy Kale Chips


1 1/2 cups cashews (you could mix raw and roasted) or use 1 cup cashew and 1/2 c sunflower seeds. I find using all cashews makes a slightly sweeter kale chip. Experiment ;-)
1 cup red pepper
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 lemon, zested
3/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne or as much as you like
pinch smoked paparika
water (enough to make a creamy sauce, about 1/8-1/4 cup) If soaking nuts not as much water is needed.
1 bunch of Curly Kale

Preparation
Remove Stem from kale  and rip into bite size pieces ,not too small because they will shrink  when dehydrating.
Place all ingredients ( except kale) in a food processor  blend until smooth, taste and adjust seasonings.
Working in batches, place a few handfuls of kale in a large bowl and pour in some of the cheese sauce and massage into kale leaves. Then place on dehydrator trays lined with non stick sheets. Dehydrate for about 6 hours then remove from nonstick sheets and place right on trays and dehydrate another 4-6 hours. Enjoy!!