I came across a huge bag of organic kale that would have gone bad before I'd ever get a chance to eat it, so I made these kale chips with a pine nut cheese dressing. The basic dressing that I rubbed onto the kale is as follows:

1 c. pine nuts
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. tahini
1/4 c. coconut aminos (could also use nama shoyu but I don't because I'm allergic to wheat)
1/4 c.   lemon juice ( less if you don't like tart)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 dried cayenne pepper

Blend it all in a Vitamix and massage onto kale. These were baby kale leaves, so the pieces are small. Place kale on teflex lined (parchment paper will work, too) dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 105 degrees until crisp. To crisp faster,   take off the teflex sheet when the top side looks crisp.This will allow more air to flow through the trays. Remove trays when thoroughly crisp.

You can also make these in a regular oven. Put the kale on a baking sheet. Turn your oven to its lowest temperature, crack open the door slightly, and remove when crisp. The cracking of the oven door is to lower the temperature even more. This is only necessary if you are aspiring to raw chips.

I store my chips in containers with the little fresh packets that come with my seaweed. Sometimes they come with packaged raw food items or other packaged food like crackers. Just hold on to them as you find them. They will really help keep your kale chips crispier.


After the kale chips, I made these strawberry cupcakes because I also got a really good deal on organic strawberries. I froze some, dipped some in homemade raw chocolate, and then used the rest on these. This recipe is courtesy of Natalia KW who has one of my favorite raw websites. NataliaKW.com is a great site for any raw foodist, but I think it's particularly good for beginners because her recipes are freely available. They also don't require a lot of equipment. There isn't a lot of dehydrating, spiralizing, mandoline use, etc. Pretty easy but delicious and beautiful recipes. Everything I've made has been fantastic, and I've made many of her recipes. If you love cupcakes, her book Cupcake Heaven is loaded with really interesting combinations of flavors. You can order it from her site.

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES WITH HONEY GINGER FROSTING

cupcakes:
2 c. chopped strawberries, packed
3/4 c. raw honey or agave (I used agave)
1/2 c. raw coconut oil ( I melt mine in the dehydrator. You can also put some into a Pyrex measuring cup, place that cup in a pan of water, and heat it on the stovetop at the lowest possible setting)
seeds of 2 vanilla beans
pinch of salt
2 c. raw coconut flour

Place the strawberries in your food processor fit with the S blade and process until smooth. Add honey or agave, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt and process again until well combined. Finally add the coconut flour and process until completely combined. Fill your cupcake liners to the top and press firmly to form their shape. Freeze for two hours to firm. Once solid, pop the cupcakes out of the liners , and they're ready to be frosted.

frosting:
2 1/2 c. raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours and drained/rinsed
1/2 c. honey (I used agave)
6 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. water
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger ( I used two big chunks because I love ginger)
seeds of one vanilla bean
pinch of Himalayan sea salt
1/ 3 c. raw coconut oil ( in liquid form)

Place all ingredients except coconut oil  in a blender and blend until very smooth. Add coconut oil and blend again until just combined. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours until firm. When thickened, frost the cupcakes.

These were delicious, especially with added ginger. I use silicone cupcake pans because the cupcakes slip out of them so beautifully. I also sometimes add an apple to the cupcake batter to make it a little more moist. Coconut flour can be dry. Apples give it a little more juice.

Enjoy. And thanks to NataliaKW and her fantastic site.