Kale Chips and Dehydrator Overview.
I have the best recipe for kale chips that I feel so inclined to share with you all. This is my 4 year old’s favorite snack as of lately and every time I make a batch its always gone quick. I also made a video all about it with some fun facts that I will share with you all in this blog.
*Disclaimer. All points are meant for education purposes, and should not be taken as medical advice. This is from the perspective of a Health and Nutrition Coach, as I mention in the post please consult your doctor if you have questions about Thyroid and safe food for Hashimoto’s.
I was first introduced to this recipe from an assignment from my Raw Nutrition Class, we got a big packet of recipes that we were supposed to pick from. In them was the recipe for Nori Nachos which was my original assignment, my family all enjoyed Nori (seaweed) and part of this Whole Foods Nutrition Journey was to educate not just me but also my family on better for us options.
The concept of Raw Foods wasn’t new to me because I had been a Vegan for most of my teenage years, and even some of my adult years. We have dehydrators in our home (one is my husbands grandmothers from the 80’s and one we invested in) mostly to make our own spices and to save food from going bad, the first things we dehydrated in bulk were tomatoes to use in soups and powdered form to use in broths.
Dehydrating according to WebMD “Maintains nutrients” as fresh foods will loose up to 50% of nutrients in the days that follow harvest, dehydrating food looses 3-5% of nutrients in the process. Boiling and cooking food may loose more nutrients, such as water soluble vitamins like C and b and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc by 60-70% according to Sutter Health. Dehydrating foods also makes them more dense and last longer than there fresh counterparts, making them a good option for those looking to make an Emergency Preparedness Kit. You can also make your own dehydrated hiking and camping options like soups and stews, I recently saw a great Olive Garden Gnocchi dehydrated soup for camping (I will be making that since I adore making gnocchi.)
As busy moms, dehydrating helps us do some “set it and forget it” style snack planning. Dehydrated bananas, strawberries, apples and even homemade raisins are great to have the kids helping with. We have a multi-tool mandolin chopper that my kids are able to help (with supervision) and like I mentioned in previous posts we have Montessori knifes that are a safer option. You can let them slice and even put on the pieces on the dehydrator, with bananas if you put a small glaze of honey water on top they will be less brown plus they will have a slight sweetness to them.
Kale with “Cheese” Sauce on Dehydrator rack.
Back to the Kale.
Kale is a superfood and is great for you in moderation. Kale is high in Vitamins A, B6, C, K, Folate, Fiber, Carotenoids, and Manganese. One cup of raw kale is 20 calories. When it comes to the belief that Kale is bad for thyroid function, this is where moderation is important, Kale is a cruciferous vegetable and it could interfere with how your thyroid handles iodine if you have hypothyroid. I have Hashimoto’s so its Hypothyroidism, so in moderation it is just fine to have. My doctor has given me the green light to enjoy my kale in moderation and my child who also has Hashimoto’s also got the green light from her Endocrinologist to have it in moderation. So please, talk with your doctor if you have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s and want to be able to enjoy kale or this recipe.
Ingredients for Kale Chips and Nori Nachos. That Mom Wellness Coach.
Kale Chips Recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup of raw cashews
1 small red bell pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
water as needed.
1 bunch kale.
Directions:
Soak your cashews at least 4 hours in water, this will make them soft. Drain cashews and add to blender with all the ingredients except the kale. Blend until smooth.
Wash and dry your kale, add to dehydrator rack before adding the sauce to not overcrowd the pieces. Add the mix onto your kale in a thin layer. As you experiment you can add thicker layers but the drying time will be slightly longer.
Place dehydrator on 115 degrees with racks in place for 8-12 hours.
Unused sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Kale Chips and Nori Nachos on plate. That Mom Wellness Coach.
In the end my kids both enjoyed this recipe, I have made this a dozen times. My youngest will this snack all day long but as I said above, moderation is key. This is defiantly an all day project, I usually make it in the afternoon so the batches are ready the next day in the video I made them early in the morning and they were ready to take off the dehydrator racks before bed.
If you make this recipe please tag me because I would love to know what you think.
Have a beautiful day my friends and stay safe out there,
Mercedes, Holistic Health and Wellness Coach and Nutrition Coach.
