Awakening Kale In My Garden

I have been craving kale chips since the moment my last bag went up.  Even in summer I was fantasizing of which flavor to make with the first kale on the farmers market. I missed it in a lot of recipes, knowing how valuable its content  is and how tasteful its flavor.

But first of all I have to tell you how great kale is for your smoothies! Packed with vitamin C, A , E and K, chlorophyll, proteins, Omega 3, vitamin B1, B2, B3, manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron and so much more, kale is a source of smooth health. If you have some trouble with the bitterness of kale in winter, add lemon. It neutralizes bitter tastes and combines so nicely with this giant. In spring, the taste becomes softer.

Ravishing Kale

Last winter when I was making kale chips I couldn’t stop tasting before they went into the dehydrator. I ended up with a huge bowl of kale salad coated in a savory tahini sauce and only one small tray of chips. So this is a great recipe for when you are in a lazy mood and have lots of kale around. You can make a huge salad in no time and put half of it into your dehydrator. Next day they will be crisp and ready for your next craving. Don’t worry, you won’t gain weight with these healthy chips. Kale hardly contains any calories, nor will you eat a whole bag. You will feel satisfied after only a handful because of their nutritious contents.

Delicious in combination with tomatoes

If you make more than one head of kale chips, double or triple the ingredients for the dressing. The better you coat the kale, the better your chips!

TOOLS YOU NEED

• A bowl
• A dehydrator or your oven

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Kale Chips

FOR THE CHIPS

• A bunch of kale

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 TBS Tahini. You can also use Almond butter.
• 2 TBS Olive oil
• 1 TBS Nutritional Yeast for a cheesy flavor.
• 1 ts Celtic Sea Salt or Hymalyan salt
• 1 ts cumin
• A dash of cayenne

THE MAKING OF THE DRESSING

Throw all ingredients in a bowl

• Place all ingredients together in a bowl and stir till they are well mixed

Stir well

THE MAKING OF KALE CHIPS

• Wash the kale

Take the stem out

• Take the stem out

Tear into large pieces

• Tear up the leaves into large pieces (they shrink during dehydration)

Pour over the kale

• Pour the dressing over the kale

Mmmmassage...

• Massage the kale with both hands until it wilts and is coated with the dressing
• Taste… is the taste right for you? You can still adjust with some salt if you want to

Spread over a Teflex lined sheet or on a tray of your oven

• Place the kale chips on a teflex lined tray

Cheesy Kale Chips

• Dehydrate on 105 °F for about six hours until they are crisp

Before you start dehydrating you can eat some of this kale as a delicious salad. It tastes great with some tomatoes mixed in it.

As a delicious salad

]]> http://ravishingraw.com/wordpress/2010/09/18/kale-salad-chips/feed/ 45 http://ravishingraw.com/wordpress/2010/06/29/ravishing-raw-chocolate-ice-cream/ http://ravishingraw.com/wordpress/2010/06/29/ravishing-raw-chocolate-ice-cream/#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:53:49 +0000 Marie-Claire http://ravishingrawblog.wordpress.com/?p=118

Chocolate Ice Cream

If there is something that can help you stop craving on a hot summer day, it is ice cream. With this lovely creation in your freezer, you can easily resist the ringing sounds of ice cream cars passing by your house. You will be all smiles because you know you have something much better waiting for you.

When I say ice cream, I mean the real thing. If you have no ice cream maker, you can blend frozen fruits and make the most lovely one-minute- sorbets in the world. This is how I did it… until just now. Since I got this wonderful equipment for my birthday, I am hooked on trying out all possible combinations with flavors and what my garden is offering me. The first spoon I took was a real revelation. I had never tasted such a full ice cream flavor and texture. Nothing can exceed the creaminess of a raw ice cream, made of sweet cashew nuts and fresh picked fruit in your garden or… pure chocolate!

This recipe is based on one of Sarma Melngailis. I was totally new at making ice cream two weeks ago. So I started with an existing recipe and am trying out things now. For this recipe I left out the coconut. It is not always as simple to find them and I rather taste the chocolate. Add some more coconut butter instead to have a hint of memory to coconut. I prefer discrete tastes above an insistent flavor. This is the way you can start looking for your own preferences. Just try and taste.

An ice cream maker doesn’t have to be expensive to do an excellent job. You can purchase a regular one for about $30 or $40. Even Cuisinart is very affordable here. So if you have a celebration coming up, put it on top of your list or just buy one yourself to treat yourself on a healthy and easy to make snack or dessert. Here comes your good mood food!

Preparation to think of first! To receive a smooth ice cream texture, it is always necessary to soak the nuts you are using, even cashews. Soak one cup of cashews for about four hours or longer in filtered water or spring water. Do this in the morning, when you get up. If you have to work, your cashews will be ready for use when you get home and feel like making something special.

Tools You Need

Ice Cream Maker

* An ice cream maker. Even a cheap one will do just fine and delight you with the real thing you have been longing for.

* A blender

* A small and a large bowl

* Measuring cups

* Measuring spoons

* A whisk

* A timer

* Some spatula’s, small and big

* A small bottle to apply chocolate sauce. If you don’t have one, take a square piece of paper, make a funnel of it, and cut a small tip off at the smallest end. Now you can draw with the sauce on your plate. Or simply use a spoon.

Ingredients for chocolate sauce

* 3/4 C raw cacao powder

* 3/4 C Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar (Maple Syrup combines great with chocolate and gives it an extra dimension)

* 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract without alcohol

* Pinch of sea salt

* 2 TBS melted coconut butter for a full flavor

The making of chocolate sauce

Always start with the part where you have to prepare food. So first melt the cacao butter while you are working on the next step. This will save time.

Now blend all ingredients at lowest speed, except for the cacao butter. By the time this is done, the butter is ready.

Add the liquified cacao butter slowly at the slowest speed. Your chocolate sauce is ready! Take a lick! Ever tasted this?

Take the sauce out of the blender but don’t clean the blender. It’s all meant to come together and you don’t want to spill anything of this goddess sauce.

Ingredients for ice cream

* 1 C of soaked cashews (they have soaked in water and became bigger)

* 1/8 C of coconut oil

* 1/2 C of spring water

* 1 C Agave Nectar

* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

* 1/4 tsp of sea salt to bring out all flavors even more

* 3/4 C of the chocolate sauce you just made

The making of ice cream

First melt your coconut oil “Au Bain Marie”

Blend all ingredients except for coconut oil until very smooth!

Add the coconut oil slowly on lowest speed.

This is your cashew creme and chocolate sauce. Keep a bit of the chocolate sauce aside to add lusciously on your ice cream later.

Mix both emulsions together in your blender until they are one. Done!

Set aside a few hours in the refrigerator till the mixture has cooled off.

All set to go. Follow the instructions of your ice cream maker. Usually you have to turn on the machine before you start pooring. Than let the machine do the work.

Set the timer; twenty minutes for soft ice, forty for scoop ice cream.

Peeking after about ten minutes…

Ready to taste! Heavenly! You can take a scoop and treat yourself already. Put the rest in the deep freezer.

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