Nacho Kale Chips
Nacho cheese powder is mostly salt, oil, and dairy solids clinging to a fried chip. This flips the whole idea: the crisp comes from kale baked dry, and the flavor comes from a coating you would happily eat off a spoon. Soaked cashews blend into a paste that clings to the leaves and bakes into a savory crust, while nutritional yeast delivers the cheesy note it is known for, chile powder and smoked paprika bring the color and warmth, and lime brings the tang that reads, at the back of the tongue, a little like salt. A low oven is not optional. Kale is thin enough to burn in the time a normal roasting temperature would take, so the leaves need a long, gentle dry-out to reach the point where they crackle.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Kale, stemmed, torn into large pieces, washed and dried well
- 1/3 cup Raw cashews, soaked 15 minutes in hot water, drained
- 3 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp pure chile powder
- 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne, or to taste
Method
- Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and line two sheets with parchment. Low and slow is the whole trick with kale chips: a hot oven scorches the thin leaf before it dries, so it must dehydrate gently to turn crisp instead of burnt.
- Blend the drained cashews with the nutritional yeast, chile powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic, lime juice, cayenne, and 3 tbsp (45 ml) water into a thick, spreadable paste. The cashews replace the oil and dairy that carry the coating in a real nacho cheese, and the nutritional yeast supplies the savory, cheesy tang.
- Dry the kale thoroughly, then use your hands to massage the paste over every piece in a thin, even layer. Any water left on the leaves steams instead of crisps, so a well-dried, lightly coated leaf is the difference between a chip and a soggy one.
- Spread the leaves in a single layer with space between them and bake 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets once. Crowding traps moisture, so give each piece room.
- The chips are done when they are papery and shatter at a touch. Let them cool on the sheet, where they crisp further, then eat within a day, since they soften as they sit.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 130 calories, 5 g protein, 3 g fiber, 30 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
