Apr 20, 2012

Chocolate-Covered Kale Chips


This is a picture of the kale chips from the website below.



Last night I experimented in my kitchen and was determined to come out with a delicious kale chip.  I shopped at Whole Foods for organic kale and purchased 3 heads.  First up was some cacao nibs, coconut oil and honey.  A little too thick and not as creamy as I wanted it, yet I massaged it into my kale and put it on the dehydrator - that was head number one.  Next up for head number two was a recipe I found online.  After it was finished and sitting in my Vitamix, I sat back, my body filled with excitement and I thought, "THIS IS IT!"  The aroma was perfect, the texture was perfect, the taste was perfect.  I massaged it into my kale, yes - perfect.  Placed all of it on my dehydrator sheets - again, perfect.  All night I could smell the aroma of chocolate as I slept and awaited the taste of my first chocolate-covered kale chip.  I got out of bed and without hesitation, I walked over to my dehydrator, lifted the lid and smiled at experiment number 2.  One chip was lifted from its bedding and met my mouth....HEAVENLY!  At that moment, everything was right with the world!  Experiment number one looks good too and tasted delicious, but hands-down, this recipe won my heart.  I hope it wins yours.  What an exciting way to eat and benefit from KALE!  Who knew???

Makes 3-4 Snackable Servings
1 bunch curly kale, stems removed, washed, and thoroughly dried
1/2 cup cashews (you can soak these for an hour beforehand, but it’s not necessary)
4-5 large pitted dates
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (substitute regular cocoa powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp water (you may want to use a little less if you soak the dates; start with 1/3 cup and add until you have a thick mixture that resembles chocolate sauce)
1) Tear kale into pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
2) Blend cashews, dates, cacao, vanilla, sea salt, and water in a blender till smooth.
3) Pour sauce over kale, and mix with hands until kale is well coated.
4) Transfer kale to 2 Teflex-lined dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115 for about 5 hours. Flip kale chips (or just shuffle them around) and dehydrate for another 4-5 hours, or until very crispy. Get snacking.
Oven option: As always, you are welcome to make this recipe without the dehydrator! Bake chips at 300 degrees Farenheit for about 20 minutes. Flip chips, and bake for another 15. If they’re still “wet,” allow them to crisp up further, but if they start burning before your 15 minutes are done, take them out.
Source:  http://www.choosingraw.com/chocolate-covered-kale-chips/

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