“Cheesy” Kale Chips

Want to ditch the dairy? But miss the flavour of some zesty nacho Doritos?

Soon after giving up dairy, I became quite partial to subbing in nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavour.

This is one of the easiest and cheesy-tasting kale chip recipes.. I’ll take these any day, over the crispiest potato chips. Especially, since I can pull these warm chips out from my oven anytime I like.

Ingredients & Directions 

Seasoning

⅓ cup nutritional yeast

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp pepper

Kale chips

1 small bunch of kale

4 tbsp cup avocado oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp salt

Combine seasonings in a bowl and set aside.

Wash kale leaves, removing the large portion of the stalk.Dry the leaves very well. (I roll mine in paper towel and set aside for a few minutes while I prep the seasonings. 

Tear the dry kale leaves into smaller pieces, but not too small. Think big bites for a giant, because these things shrink in no time. Toss in the oil, lemon juice and salt. The chips should be oily but not dripping with oil. Once they’re well oiled, toss in the seasoning and massage the leaves for a minute to ensure each leaf is well covered with seasoning. 

Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 375F.

Turn off the oven. Remove and let sit for a few minutes before indulging.

NOURISHED FACT

Nutritional Yeast

One of the staples in the vegan pantry, nutritional yeast adds an umami flavour.Adding it to sauces can give a cheesy flavour. It’s also fortified with vitamin B12 - which makes it a must-have.

As vegans have been long-thought to lack vitamin B12 in their diet, nutritional yeast comes fortified with the vitamin often.

Since B12 is a vitamin that is often found in animal products, meat-eaters often think they’re safe from deficiency. This couldn’t be farther from the truth these days. Vitamin B12 is actually produced by bacteria. It’s usually found in bacteria in manure or unsanitized water and enters the food chain this way through agriculture. In other words, the bugs in the poop that they animals are living in gets into their gut and they absorb the vitamin that way. A second-hand and poopy way to get your vitamins, don’t you think?

There are a few plant-based sources of vitamin B12 found in certain mushrooms and seaweed. However, most vegans find it’s consistently added to the diet via a supplement or in fortified plant-based foods.This form of B12 is generally crystalline and easier for our bodies to absorb than the protein-bound version found in animal products.