I looked out the window the other day and saw a very bedraggled garden. The poor plants were beaten down and spreading every which way due to the rainy weather. I decided to go out and put some order back into the garden. Before I knew it, I was up to my ears in hard work. I like to be outdoors after a good rain so I replanted some broken succulents, replaced the old bark, and rearranged to my liking. All the while I found myself wanting something more than a few kale chips to satisfy my appetite. Something earthy, warm, and robust would do.

Wandering back into the kitchen, I realized that I had an extra bunch of kale left over from the previous day’s recipe. So I decided that a loaf of kale bread would be perfect.

The fragrance accompanying a dehydrating loaf of bread both warms my house and comforts my soul.

Note: Before beginning this recipe, 1 bunch of purple kale must be prepared the day before.

Directions:
Remove the veins from the leaves. Sprinkle the leaves with olive oil. Massage the oil into each leaf by hand. Sprinkle a pinch of Himalayan sea salt over the top of the leaves. Place the leaves onto a dehydrator tray with a teflex sheet. Dehydrate for 8 hours at 115 degrees.
Makes 1 ½ cups of kale.

Cheesy Kale Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups soaked and dehydrated almonds
1 cup flax seeds
½ cup filtered water
½ cup nutritional yeast
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder

Directions:
In a high speed blender with a dry grain attachment, turn the almonds into flour. Set aside. Place the flax seeds into the dry blender and blend into meal. Place the almond flour, flax meal, water, nutritional yeast, salt, olive oil, black pepper, garlic, and onion into a Cuisinart with an S blade. Pulse until the dough turns into a ball. Scrape the sides down periodically. Remove from the Cuisinart and place into a large bowl. Add the kale to the dough, breaking it down to flakes with your fingers as you add it. Hand mix the kale into the dough, making sure it is evenly mixed. Take a small loaf pan and line it with saran wrap. The wrap should overlap the sides. Place the dough into the pan and press down until it is evenly distributed and flat on the top. Lift the bread out of the pan utilizing the sides of the saran wrap. Flip the bread onto a dehydrator tray with a teflex sheet. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, flip the loaf and gently score the top of the loaf into slices. Do not cut all the way through. Continue dehydrating at 115 degrees for 8 hours. Remove from the dehydrator and cut into slices, using the score marks on the top.

Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 6 to 7 days. Will last in the freezer up to 1 month.