“Cheesy” Kale Chips

When I first started writing my blog, my first post was a super simple kale chip recipe which to this day is probably the most popular.  As delicious and nutritious as they were, I decided to jazz up the flavour and nutrient content with this new ‘cheesy’ recipe.  For those of you who loved the original recipe, I warn you, you’ll be devouring these!  The ‘cheese’ found here is nutritional yeast.  With such an unappealing name, somewhere down the line of nutritional yeast lovers, the nickname ‘nooch’ was born and caught on over the internet.  Nooch is a staple in my home.  When I adopted a vegetarian diet, my first health check showed a deficiency in vitamin B12.  B12 is not naturally found in plant foods.  It must be added as a supplement, as it is in nooch, making it a wonderful addition to a vegan/vegetarian diet.   The particular brand I use (Bob’s Red Mill) contains 300% percent of your daily recommended value of B12, but it is important to note that not all nutritional yeast contains B12 – so, read the labels (as always!)   Nooch is made up of many other healthy nutrients, but I mainly eat it for it’s yummy cheesy, nutty flavour and for the B12 content.  So, what exactly is it?  Nutritional yeast is an organism grown on beet and cane molasses, which is then harvested, washed, dried and deactivated with heat.  Since it is deactivated (killed), it won’t make your bread rise!  You can add it to just about anything to give your meal a cheesy flavour; roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, popcorn, and pasta sauces, to name a few.  Okay, back to the chips…

“Cheesy” Kale Chips Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale (about 1 lb), washed, dried well, thick stems removed
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut out the thick stems then wash the kale well.  Cut into large chip size pieces.  Dry it very well, using a salad spinner.
• In a bowl, add kale, sea salt, nooch and olive oil.  Use your hands to mix it all well and get the kale covered in the oil and seasonings.
• Spread out the kale on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Pop in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, careful not to burn!
• Remove from oven, and enjoy this nutritional snack!