Kale Chips with Almond Butter & Miso

Kale Chips with Almond Butter & Miso

½ cup almond butter
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for greasing
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon white miso
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons tamari
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt (taste - may need more)
1 ½ pounds curly kale, leaves left whole and stems discarded

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  In a blender or food processor, puree all the ingredients except the kale.

Grease 3 large rimmed baking sheets with olive oil and divide the kale leaves among them. Drizzle the almond-butter mixture over the kale and rub each leave to season evenly.  Arrange the kale on the sheets in an even layer and bake for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, until the leaves are crisp. Let cool, then carefully lift the kale chips off the baking sheets with a spatula and serve.

Notes:  You can leave the white miso out but may need to add a bit more sea salt. Make sure to use nutritional yeast and not baking or brewer’s yeast.  Nutritional yeast can be found a health food stores.  It’s full of B vitamins and gives things a cheesy flavor.  It’s delicious in this recipe so don’t leave it out!  The kale chips can be stored in tight glass or plastic containers for 2-3 days – if they last that long!  You may make these in a dehydrator as well.  Start by spreading the kale chips on teflex sheets.  After about 5 hours, remove the teflex sheets and allow them to continue drying on the mesh screens for an additional 8 hours or until they are crisp and the sauce has completely dried.

Recipe from: Food & Wine magazine, March 2012