Cheesy spiced kale chips

Soaked and dried sunflower seeds grind down into a thick flour that forms the base of this dehydrator classic, with nutritional yeast supplying the savoury, cheese-like note and tamari adding the salt and depth underneath it. Garlic works into the batter while it is still turning in the food processor, and the cayenne only arrives at the last moment, just before drying, so its heat stays sharp rather than mellowing over the hours. Massaging the sauce by hand into sturdy kale leaves is what makes the coating hold evenly, leaf after leaf, instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Drying gently at 40 °C takes longer than baking, but it is what keeps the kale raw while driving out enough moisture for the leaves to shatter cleanly with each bite. The quantity of sauce is sized to cover about two bunches, which makes it easy to double if you are preparing a large tray for guests or want some in reserve. Compared with baked kale chips, these keep their crispness longer and taste noticeably richer, thanks to that seed-based sauce rather than a thin coating of oil and salt.

Ingredients

Spiced cheesy sauce (enough to cover about 2 bunches of kale)

• 4 cups (about 550 g) sunflower seeds, soaked then dried
• 1 cup (about 60 g) nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup wheat-free tamari, or to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Fresh garlic, to taste
• Water, as needed
• Cayenne pepper, optional but recommended

Also

• 2 bunches of kale, centre ribs removed

Preparation

1. Grind the sunflower seeds into a fine flour in a food processor.
2. Add the nutritional yeast, tamari, olive oil and garlic (hold back the cayenne) and process, adding water gradually, until you have a thick batter that spreads easily.
3. Rinse the kale and strip out the tough centre ribs, then gather the leaves in a large bowl - this quantity of sauce covers about two bunches.
4. Massage the sauce into the leaves by hand until every one is coated.
5. Spread the leaves in a single layer across the dehydrator trays, dust with cayenne to taste, and dry at 40 °C until the chips are crisp all the way through.

Tip

If your dehydrator runs a little warm, check the trays after the first few hours rather than leaving it to run in one go: thin leaves dry far faster than thick pieces left near the rib. Any leftover sauce keeps for about a week in the refrigerator and works just as well as a dip for raw vegetables or a spread for a wrap.

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