Nacho Cheese Kale Chips

I got a dehydrator this year for Christmas and I have been making multiple experimental batches of kale chips.  It's really awesome how easy it is to toss some kale and seasonings together, throw it in the dehydrator and have an amazing snack. 

After playing around with lots of different recipes I found online I settled on this combination as my favorite.  It's a mix of a few different ideas I got from different recipes but think that it's just the right combo.  I find that the lacinto kale works best for this recipe because the cashew mixture tends to get really clumpy in the curly kale.  With the lacinto kale you can lay them out flatter for a better chip and a faster drying time.  If you are in a hurry you can get by by soaking the cashews for 2 hours, but the longer you soak them the creamier the sauce will be and the more even of a coating you'll get. 

My favorite part is the freshness of the red bell pepper that's in every bite!  They really do have a nacho type flavor and the cashew coating gives the chips some crunch, substance, and serious flavor.   If you like Trader Joe's Kale Chips, you'll like these.  I bascially was shooting for something that tasted like the TJs kind.

Serve for an appetizer, party snack, or store in a airtight contain for snacking.  We haven't been able to save any so far and end up eating them straight out of the dehydrator!

• 1 bunch Lacinto "Dinosaur" Kale
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup of cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours. 
• 1 medium red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• a few dashes of hot sauce
• Salt & pepper to taste  

1.  Wash and dry your Kale and then tear into 3-4 in pieces.  (I don't have a salad spinner so i just lay the kale out on the dehydrator trays to dry.)
2. Drain the cashews and combine with the garlic, red bell pepper, nutritional yeast, cayenne, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.  
3. Using an immersion blender or a high speed blender, blend until completely smooth.
4. Toss the kale in the cashew sauce in a large bowl evenly working the cashew sauce through all the kale.  Use your hands to evenly coat the kale pieces
5. Arrange on dehydrator trays as flatly as possible and dehyrate at 160 degrees for about 4-6 hours.  The chips are done when the cashew coating is no longer soft.  The chips are awesome when they are still slightly warm but the longer you let them cool the more the cashew coating hardens.  NOTE:  These are not raw.  If you'd like to keep them raw you need to dehydrate them below 110 degrees.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cashew Cream

This recipe combines two of my favorite ingredients to use in the kitchen: cashews and powdered peanut butter.  By making your own cashew cream you create a simple and healthy spread that can be used in a multitude of different ways.  The easiest of course is spreading the cashew cream on toast for an easy and healthy breakfast.  Other uses could be using it in place of frosting to top a vegan cupcake or to add some richness and flavor to smoothies or dairy free shakes.  Try making this simple recipe and see what creative delicious uses it inspires.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight or at least for five hours)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c almond milk
• 6-8 T Chocolate Powdered Peanut Putter (such as Just Good Stuff or PB2)

1. Drain the cashews and discard the water.
2. Using an immersion blender or high speed blender, blend the cashews, almond milk, and vanilla until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency.
3. Add the powdered peanut butter and blend until completely mixed.
4. Place in a container and allow the cashew cream to chill and thicken in the refrigerator for a few hours.  

Buddy's Hotel Survival Smoothie

This year on tour I brought my immersion blender.  I've been experimenting with creating different power packed plant based smoothies to fuel me through our performances of ELF!  I've been looking for a super power packed combination and I think I've found a great mix of hemp seeds, nut butter, and chocolatey green goodness to start my day off right.

All you need are these ingredients, an immersion blender, a plastic mixing cup, and a spoon!

Serves 1

• one banana
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 3 heaping spoonfuls of hemp seeds
• 2 heaping spoonfuls of peaunut butter
• 1 spoonful of Cacao Green Superfood powder (Amazing Greens)
• 1 small cup of ice

1. Blend the hemp seeds with 1/2 cup of the almond milk until it's a creamy consistency.
2. Add the peanut butter, superfood mix, the banana (broken up into small pieces), and the remaining almond milk and blend until thoroughly mixed.
3. Add the ice a little at a time until ice is blended through the mixture and enjoy!

autumn quinoa bowl with candied butternut squash

Love autumn with this lightly sweet and savory quinoa bowl.  The smell of roasting butternut squash lighted coated in sugar and cinnamon will fill your home with the most aromatic fall smell.  All of these flavors go deliciously together and to me, tastes like fall in a bowl!

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• cook your quinoa by substituting vegetable broth for the water for a more flavorful quinoa
• 1 half of a butternut squash 
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T coconut sugar (or light brown sugar, but coconut is best)
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 4 T dried cranberries
• 2 T raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

1. Peel, seed, and cube your butternut squash into 1 in pieces.
2. Place in a bowl and coat with 1 T olive oil.  Add in the cinnamon and coconut sugar and stir to coat evenly.
3. Roast in a glass baking dish for about 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 425 degrees, stirring halfway through.
4. Per Serving - Add 1 cup cooked quinoa to a bowl and top with half of the roasted squash, 2 T dried cranberies, and 1 T pepitas each.

Basic "Chik'n" Barley Soup

This is a super basic, simple version of a vegan chicken noodle soup.  I didn't use any actual "chicken" type substitute, but I did use a vegan chicken broth bouillon that I found at Whole Foods.  I've been using a veggie broth bouillon lately for most of my soups, but the chicken noodle soup flavor that these bouillon cubes had totally reminded me of eating Campbell's soup as a kid!

Ingredients

Serves 2-4 

• 4 cups water
• 2 vegan "chicken broth" bouillon cubes
• 4 stalks celery
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 1 small onion
• 1 cup quick cook barley
• 1 Tbs coconut or olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Begin to dissolve the 2 bouillon cubes in 2 cups of warm water.
2. Dice the celery, onion, and carrots. 
3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
4. Add the carrots, onion, and celery to the pot and cook until the vegetables are softened, stirring frequently.  About 10 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat and add the 2 cups of dissolved bouillon to the pot as well as another 2 cups of water (4 total).
6. Add the barley and bring the pot back to boil.
7. Salt and Pepper to taste.  I personally liked a lot of fresh cracked black pepper with this recipe.
8. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.