Easy Cheesy Kale Chips!

Kale, like brussels sprouts, can be a very controversial vegetable. Some people despise it in all forms. Others like it sautéed with tons of garlic but can't stand it raw in a salad. And I respect all of these kale related opinions. But I have to believe that even the fiercest anti kale advocate would like these crunchy, salty and cheesy kale chips.




Disclaimers:

• ~ This recipe makes about 1-2 servings. Why...
•  It may be one bunch of kale, but it shrivels down to about a third of its original size.
• It is incredibly addicting, and half a pan disappears the second it comes out of the oven
• Ok, let's be real, it's only 1 serving. 
• If you want to double the recipe (to be able to share the love), you will have to do multiple batches. So making this for a crowd can be a lengthy process.

This recipe is basically this one from the Minimalist Baker, with just the slightest change. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch curly kale (aka not dinosaur)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T cashews
• 1 T sunflower seeds
• 2 T nutritional yeast (mmm cheesy) + extra to top
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t onion powder
• pinch cayenne

First cut or rip up your kale into nicely sized chunks. Ideally you would have washed it and let it air dry in advance. Of course, I rarely plan ahead when I cook, so I used a paper towel to dry off the leaves once they were all chopped up in the bowl. This actually served as a pre-oil massage for them, helping soften them. Then you add the oil and really massage it in to the leaves. I find this process pretty fun!

Dump your cashews, seeds, yeast and seasonings into a food processor. I used the littlest container on my magic bullet and just pulsed it awhile. This worked pretty well. Then dump that cheesy goodness into the kale and make sure it is all evenly coated.

Stick the kale on 2 pans so it does not overlap too much and sprinkle more nutritional yeast on top of it all.

At a 300 degree F oven, bake 15 minutes, stir, and then bake 5-15 minutes more. My bottom pan took longer than the top, so be sure to keep checking. This is another reason the end product disappears so quickly. You have to keep tasting it to test its crispness! 

Then let cool completely before storing! But if we're honest...there may not be much to store.

Hope you enjoy this easy way to make your vegetables into a fun and addicting snack!

Mmm cheesy!

A Chick'n Miracle - The Story of a Humble Nugget

 😇 😇 😇

Prepare yourself for a whirlwind of emotions. The stakes are high. Today, we're talking tenders.

Like many children, one of my favorite items on any kids menu was the chicken tenders. There is something so uniquely delicious about that crunchy exterior that is only found on this one food item. Truth be told, chicken tenders are one of the few foods I have craved in the last five years since my switch to the vegetarian lifestyle. Yes, sometimes a burger smells pretty good, but this is really the only food (other than meatballs) I've actively wished I could eat.

And truth be told, there is no perfect substitution. Other fried foods are good but not the same, and the grocery store soy based "chickn" tenders are so-so. So I was very intrigued when I found this recipe for Chick'n Nuggets on a blog called Deliciously Yum. This peaked my curiosity because the star ingredient was the one and only chickpea! Really quite fitting, don't you think? So while this was a nugget, the lesser liked cousin of the tender, I wanted to give it a try, because I love experimenting with this versatile legume.

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Here is the incredible short ingredient list:

1 can chickpeas

1 cup oat flour

2 eggs

1 cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free - half regular and half panko - please splurge on the panko, as the regular ones were literally just corn meal...so get the panko for that signature crunch.

seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning)

So while I did not attempt to modify this recipe to be vegan, I did manage to make it gluten free. But I'm guessing you could use aquafaba from the chickpeas to make it vegan? Wow I literally just thought of that...that's kind of a genius and resource conscious idea!

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I often fail to completely read a recipe in advance, and just think, "Hey that sounds interesting, let's give it a try." So on this given day, half way through blending my chickpeas in the food processor, it sunk in that I was about to do a proper breading procedure. 

Yes, that's right: flour + egg + breadcrumbs. I'd never done that before. 

So I first pulsed my chickpeas, eggs, seasonings, and part of the flour in a food processor. Then came the fun part. It's a little odd, because as you're dipping each tender in the flour, egg, and then breadcrumb mixture, and you repeat this process a number of times, each individual finger starts to get breaded, which as a vegetarian is especially a bit disconcerting. Finger tenders anyone? (Sorry I don't know why I'm veering into the territory of dad jokes).

After completing the 3 step breading process! 

So I've breaded my tenders, and I've stuck them in the oven. I go to turn them at the half way mark, and I find that the oven had been turned off (I think I canceled the heat when I went to turn the light off). Despite this set back, I get the oven heating up again, and just leave them in for longer, until I see some of the crumbs getting golden. 

And now the moment of truth. I am so ready. I've made a little dipping sauce of natural ketchup (aka not sweet), balsamic vinegar, and apple butter. It's basically a take on barbecue sauce (and may sound familiar because that's what I top my lentil loaf with!). So I have my dip ready, and I grab a couple tenders hot out of the oven and settle down on the couch. 

...And I am so disappointed. 

It is a crushing blow. I think, "Will I truly never again experience the joy of the tender?". A single tear weeps from the corner of my eye. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but you get the picture. It's a let down. The texture inside is mushy, and doesn't at all resemble its namesake nugget. So I pack the rest up in tupperware and resign myself to mediocre meals for the next couple days.

So why am I even posting about this recipe? Because of what happened the next day. I took out a couple nuggets and set them in the toaster oven to heat so they'd stay crispy. I mixed up some more sauce, and when they were ready I settled down to my sad meal. 

I took a bite....

I took another bite......

Overnight the food gods, goddesses and angels had blessed me and transformed my humble nuggets into gold. I kid you not. After just one day settling in the fridge, they were almost indistinguishable from your typical chicken nugget. They got that firm interior and just the right amount of chew. 

So yes, they resembled nuggets more than tenders (which I knew going in given the name of the recipe), but it felt like a vegetarian miracle. 

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my journey, and I encourage you all to give this a try, and maybe you too will feel the blessings of the angels.

PSA: this post has been dramatized for the sake of entertainment

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Vegan Thanksgiving Part 1 - Lentil Loaf

I know it is now January, and Thanksgiving was in November. But I hope you'll overlook that, and see these Thanksgiving themed posts as inspiration for next year. You can never start your holiday planning too early! (do some people say that? let's go with yes) Anyways, I apologize for the delay, and hope you enjoy this festive reminiscence. 

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It's been five thanksgivings without turkey for me. But let's be real...who reaaally cares about the turkey anyway? It's all about those delicious sides! Still, when I decided to cook a vegan (and gluten free - why not?) Thanksgiving meal this year, I felt that despite the fact that I could easily be happy just with sides, I should try to make a hearty main dish that would blow boring old turkey out of the water. 

There's nothing like a good lentil loaf to fill you up! In fact, I've already posted one on this blog before! It is very similar to the one I'm about to share - and truth be told, both are delicious. I do like this one for Thanksgiving with its addition of raisins and apple for some sweetness and moisture. It also held together a bit better, which was nice for serving. 

   
 So what's in this puppy? Check out the recipe, from Oh She Glows (love her!) here.

lentils, walnuts (I finely chopped and toasted on the stove, moving constantly over medium heat until they were fragrant, had a bit of a crunch, and got a bit golden), onion, celery, carrot, flax seed (to bind), garlic, grated apple, raisins, oat flour, gf bread crumbs, thyme.

And the deliciousss glaze is ketchup, maple syrup, apple butter, and balsamic vinegar!

Sautéing the carrot, celery, onion and raisins!

Mixing everything together

Not super appetizing uncooked, but I promise it's delicious

That's one beauteous loaf!

Stay tuned for another post with more recipes from my Vegan Thanksgiving!

Vegan Banana Spelt Muffins

Another recipe from Oh She Glows (recipe here). You better prepare yourself for a whole lot more from her. I recently downloaded her app on my phone, and it is chock full of amazing veggie filled recipes. ... Although as you can see, while veggies are great, I was actually drawn first to try her take on vegan banana muffins. 

This was my first time using spelt flour, and I have to say, it won't be the last. The muffins came out incredibly light and fluffy. Spelt is not technically gluten free, as it is a cousin of sorts to wheat. However, as an "ancient grain", it is quite nutritious and the gluten is much easier to digest. Therefore, since it is healthier, and results in a fluffy baked good, it is a nice alternative to wheat. 

Besides spelt (I used whole-grain spelt flour), this muffin also has banana, coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, flax seed, almond milk, oats & vanilla. I threw in some cinnamon (because everything is better with cinnamon) and topped it with some walnuts and chocolate chips. :)

The instructions are pretty straightforward. Her recipe makes it in a loaf pan. I did it as muffins, baking at 350 for about 20-22 minutes. While these do have a fair amount of sugar, it at least is in an unrefined form. All the other ingredients are very wholesome and nutritious. This makes an awesome evening treat, mid-day pick me up, or grab and go breakfast. Enjoy!