Peppercorn Ranch Kale Chips

I made this up out of a bunch of ranch dressing and kale chip recipes. They're dehydrating in the oven right now, but I tried a few raw and they were delish. The herbs can be either fresh or dried. What's listed here reflects what I had! I did this to taste so measurements are approximate

8 very large fresh leaves of kale

1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least two hours in cold water (I did them overnight) and drained
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp whole black peppercorns
tops from 1 large spring onion, chopped (chives would also probably be good)
1/2 clove garlic
2 tsp dried thyme
2 sprigs chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp dried dill
4 leaves fresh basil

Wash kale and shake leaves dry (or use a salad spinner if you have one). Remove stems of kale and break into chip-sized pieces in a very large bowl.

Put all seasoning ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process on low, adding water or almond milk by tablespoonfuls as needed to help mix. The seasoning mix should be a fully-blended thick creamy paste, more like a nut butter consistency than a dip, when you are finished.

Use a spatula to scrape all the seasoning mix into the bowl with the kale. Massage the seasoning over the kale leaves, trying to cover all surfaces and avoid clumps of seasoning (which are delicious, but may deprive some kale leaves of having any seasoning!)

Spread leaves out onto parchment or silicone mat-covered baking sheets. If the leaves are too thickly layered, or clumped up, they will not dry as efficiently and you will end up with wet spots. A double layer works ok, but leaves should be spread out flat in layers.

You can do these in a dehydrator, but since I don't have one, I put the oven on its lowest setting (for my oven that's 175 F). You can also bake these at a higher temp, as I've seen in some recipes, but the risk of burning increases with the temp. Dry for 6-10 hours, or until chips are fully dry and crispy. They should crack when you touch them.