MAKES: 4 (1¼-CUP) SERVINGS • DIFFICULTY: moderate
What a great way to eat your greens! Kale, one of the oldest forms of cultivated cabbage, is easy to grow and filled with such dark green leafy goodness. My dear friend Essy (Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr.) eats as much of it and other dark green leafies as he can throughout the day. You’ll be seeing kale in many of the recipes in this book—for good reason!
1 bunch red kale, thick stems removed
½ cup raw cashews, soaked for 3 hours and then drained
½ cup roasted red bell pepper (see here), or store-bought
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon white miso paste
1 ¼-inch piece fresh turmeric, grated (or ¼ teaspoon ground)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Wash the kale leaves well and then tear or cut any large leaves into 2-inch pieces. Dry the kale pieces in a salad spinner or a clean dish towel. Once the kale is very dry, transfer it to a large bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats and set aside.
In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine 2 tablespoons of water and the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the kale. If it’s too thick, add a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Pour the sauce onto the kale and toss to coat, massaging the sauce into the leaves. Arrange the kale in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes. Remove any pieces that are crisp and turn over any that have not yet crisped before returning the trays to the oven for 2 to 5 minutes longer, or until the remaining kale pieces are crisp. Be sure to watch so they don’t burn. Set aside to cool completely before eating.