Just a week away from my normal routine and I’m a mess! Not really, but why is it so hard to get back on track? Prior to my family’s little getaway to Wisconsin, I had the pizza photos edited. The plan was to have the post ready before the trip, so all I had to do was post it on Wednesday. Well…I learned a long time ago not to freak out when things don’t go according to plan. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

On top of that, I decided the pizza post didn’t do pizza justice. Pizza is a touchy subject. It’s like burgers. People, especially Americans, like their pizza and burgers…the traditional *very unhealthy* way.  As a whole, the health food community, looks really bad to non health foodies. Rubber and cardboard tend to be the imagery commonly associated with things like meatless burgers and healthy cereal. That’s part of the reason I started this blog. I want to showcase beautiful food that provides the highest levels of nutrition and flavors that would make anyone give health food a second chance. I only wish I could serve the food to you in person!

The pizza recipe will eventually come, but I want to only present the very best. For now, I want to share one of my family’s favorite snacks (or meals:). Kale chips look gnarly and, yes, they are green, but one little taste and you can’t stop eating these. For this particular recipe, the only thing holding you back from eating the entire dehydrator full would be the spice. These are HOT! If you aren’t a fan of spicy food, just skip the cayenne and lighten up on the garlic.

When I create a recipe, I write everything down and tweak the ingredient amounts with each attempt until I get the results I’m looking for. In the case of kale chips I have never made a recipe with precise mesurements. I don’t think it’s necessary, and unlike most raw food recipes I’ll share, you can’t really mess up when making kale chips. I’ll give you estimates, but feel free to experiment!

Spicy Cheese
4 c. sunflower seeds (soaked and dehydrated)
1 c. nutritional yeast
1/2 c. wheat free tamari (or to taste)
1/2 c. olive oil
fresh garlic to taste
water
cayenne pepper (optional but highly recommended)

Grind sunflower seeds to a flour. In a food processor combine all ingredients except for cayenne . Add water as needed to reach a thick batter like consistency.

This amount of sauce is enough for at least two bunches of kale. I can’t tell you the exact amount, because I didn’t weigh it! After rinsing the kale and removing the spine (too tough to eat dehydrated), it loosely filled a very large mixing bowl. Like I said, you can’t mess this up.

Massage the sauce into the kale, spread onto dehydrator trays, sprinkle on desired amount of cayenne, and dehydrate on 105〫F until crunchy. In my home, these barely make it out of the dehydrator and are often nibbled on before they’re done : )

Sometimes I have extra cheese sauce, so I spread it over a Paraflexx sheet and dehydrate right along with the kale chips. Once the top is dry, flip, remove Paraflexx, and continue dehydrating…or enjoy soft!

Next Week: Pesto Alfredo.