A spicy crispy kale that tastes like zesty nacho cheese kale chips but are actually a vegan cheesy kale chip made with nutritional yeast and cashews! Add a whole lot of salsa inspired seasonings and Skagit Grown kale and you have a delicious snack!

For this recipe Tristin used Farmstand Fresh kale from Blanchard Mountain Farm. Blanchard Mountain Farm near Edison, grows WSDA certified organic vegetables, unique herbs, cut flowers and specialty crops; including many Italian varieties! Owners Linda Versage and Walter Brodie are committed to enhancing their farm’s ecosystem and sharing it with visitors and wildlife. Find more information on their farm stand here.

---

Not-cho ‘Cheese’ Kale Chips

by Tristin Rieken, Fresh Flavorful

Ingredients

• 2 large bunches kale, about 8 cups torn kale leaves
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight – will equal 2 cups after soaking.
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 cup jarred salsa
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup canola oil or olive oil
• Optional – 1 small jalapeno pepper, or other chili pepper
• Optional – 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Instructions

Begin by placing cashews in a small bowl and covering with cool water to soak overnight.

Wash the kale and pat dry. Tear kale off the stems into large pieces.

Drain cashews and place in food processor with salsa, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and cumin powder. As well as the jalapeno pepper and nutritional yeast, if using. Process until combined, streaming in canola oil as needed. Do not add all the oil, though, the sauce should be thick.

Place kale in a large bowl and massage with a few tablespoons of oil. Then add the cashew sauce and continue massaging until the kale is completely coated.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place kale on a large baking sheet in a single layer and season with salt and pepper.

Bake coated kale in low oven for 1 hour, then stir and continue baking until super dry and crispy, 45 minutes to an hour longer.

After about 2 hours of total baking kale chips should be dry and crispy. If not, continue baking and stirring every 10 minutes until dried.

Remove from oven and season again with salt to taste.

Cool and store tightly covered at room temperature.

Recipe author’s notes: You can make these Crispy Kale Chips in the oven, or make them in the dehydrator.