Freaky Friday with Katie of Vegan Noms!!

Okay, so I said I wasn't doing themes this Mofo (mostly because the idea of that much planning stresses me out). But one of the themes that came out of the Mofo workshop at Vida Vegan Con this year was Freaky Friday, where two bloggers swap posts. And my bloggy friend bestie Katie of Vegan Noms suggested we do a swap this year! The following is a post (and kale chip recipe!!!) she wrote for Vegan Crunk, and you can find my post on her blog on Friday (I posted hers a few hours early on Thursday because Friday is my blog day-off).

Hey, Crunkers and Crunkettes! Katie here from Vegan Noms. I have had the great fortune of spending two Vida Vegan Cons with the fabulous and fun-loving Bianca. We became fast buds over vegan cocktails, doughnuts, and corn dogs and I am SO psyched to provide a guest post on Vegan Crunk during this lovely month of MoFo.

Me and Katie have matching hoodies from Herbivore!!

I’m here to share with you a killer recipe for satisfying a craving that we all know and love — pizza. Yes, pizza. Is there anything better? Crust so chewy and fluffy (or crisp and crunchy), sauce so herby and vibrant, cheeze so creamy and tangy ... it is the ultimate comfort food.

Now, let’s look at a way to appease the need for a slice of pie without processed flours or cheezes and instead with a base of the ultimate vegan fan favorite: kale! We all know that kale is a powerhouse of essential nutrients, like calcium, Vitamins A, C, & K, right? And that we should be eating it on the reg in salads, smoothies, and bowls, right? Well, let’s dress this beauty up in a creamy, cheezy, herby sauce, dehydrate it, and fall in love all over again.

Kale chips are a great way to indulge in a craving for crunch, but also to reap the nutritional benefits of the veggie’s still mostly intact phytonutrients. And, you can make these chips without a dehydrator! With or without one, the recipe does take a few hours, but it is overwhelmingly filled with down time. Ready for some pizza? Let’s eat.


Pizza Kale Chips 
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1 bunch kale, rinsed, destemmed and torn into chunks
1 container grape or cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 1-2 hours in water and rinsed well (soaking is optional, yet it does make the sauce creamier)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, pressed or crushed
spices to taste: basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, salt, black pepper

1. Heat stove to 350 degrees F.
2. Rub baking tray with olive oil and spread tomatoes out. Roast for 30 minutes.
3. Lower oven temperature to 200 degrees F.
4. Mix roasted tomatoes and rest of the ingredients (except for the kale) in a high-speed blender until creamy.
5. In a large bowl, mix the kale chunks with the sauce until evenly distributed.
6. Spread the kale mixture onto as many as 3 baking sheets (lined with foil or parchment paper), making sure to leave space between each piece of kale so it will dehydrate evenly and quickly. Place baking sheets in the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar.
7. Check kale every 30 minutes or so, turning the pieces and removing those that have become perfectly crispy. Continue checking until all kale is crispy (between 2 & 3 hours).
8. Storage tip: Let kale chips cool completely before storing, lest they become soggy. What works best to keep the chips crispy is placing one of those small silicone moisture absorbent packets (like those found in shoe boxes) in the sealed container you choose. OR, you can eat all of the kale chips immediately (preferred method, folks!).

I hope you enjoy this recipe and share it with fellow pizza (and kale) lovers. Please drop by Vegan Noms and introduce yourself! And, don’t forget to keep it crunk.