RECIPE: Raw Ranch Kale Chips

I’m not exaggerating when I say that we go through 5-6 bunches of organic kale a week. My body literally craves it! Our favorite ways to enjoy kale: lightly sauteed, thrown in a smoothie, salads and kale chips!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to chip flavors and since we’ve been on a big ranch dressing kick lately, we thought ranch kale chips would be perfect! These are so simple to throw together and you can use the leftover ranch dressing for salads, wraps or veggie burgers…or toss it with another bunch of kale!

My little assistant helped me tear the kale from the stems, make the dressing and happily licked the Vitamix clean…and quickly grabbed for some when the chips were finally ready! I love having these on hand for a healthy toddler snack.

RAW RANCH KALE CHIPS: {raw, gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free, vegan}

What you need:

• 1 bunch of organic kale
• 3/4 cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours)
• 2 Tablespoons raw hemp seeds
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoons filtered water*

*more or less depending on the consistency you prefer.

How to:

1. Tear the kale away from the stem into desired size, wash, and dry thoroughly. If you have a salad spinner, I highly recommend throwing the kale in there to get the excess water off.
2. Drain and rinse your cashews; add to high-speed blender.
3. Add the remaining dry ingredients, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of water to start. Blend until smooth, adding more water if needed (or desired). I used an additional 3 Tablespoons of water to make it easy to pour, but not runny. Salt to taste.
4. In a large mixing bowl, toss the kale with 1/4 cup of the ranch dressing – adding more, as needed, to evenly coat the kale. A thicker coating will will lead to longer dehydrating time. You can sprinkle extra salt, hemp seeds or dill at this time.
5. Place the kale in a single layer on your dehydrator sheets. Mine filled two Excalibur sheets. Set the temp for 105-115° and allow to dry for 5-8 hours (depending on your dehydrator, temp, and thickness of coating).
6. Store leftover ranch dressing in an airtight container (in the fridge) and kale chips are best stored in glass jars. ENJOY!

Thanks for stopping by!

❤