Raw brownies and kale chips

How about sweets first, then the salty. My friend SV made a batch of these brownies when I was over for one of our feasting marathons, and I was hooked. They are unbelievably scrumptious, but may cause a food processor burnout. Mine nearly ground to a halt trying to blend up the sticky sticky dates, but any struggle is well worth it.

The Raw Brownie
Recipe from My New Roots

2 cups whole walnuts
2.5 cups dates
1 cup raw cacao
1 cup raw unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
¼ tsp sea salt

1. Place walnuts in food processor and blend on high until the nuts are finely ground.
2. Add the cacao and salt. Pulse to combine.
3. Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the food processor while it is running. What you should end up with is a mix that appears rather like cake crumbs, but that when pressed, will easily stick together (if the mixture does not hold together well, add more dates).
4. In a large bowl (or the pan you plan on putting the brownies in), combine the walnut-cacao mix with the chopped almonds. Press into a lined cake pan or mold. Place in freezer or fridge until ready to serve (it is also easier to cut these when they are very cold). Store in an airtight container.

I am loving all the amazing recipes featuring kale lately (Adrienneats has posted a lot of awesome ones, this one's one of my favourites). Salads I get, but chips? From kale? Really? I was so curious to try them. And when I finally did, I can see why they're so popular! I would describe their texture as crispy, but too delicate to call crunchy. Because they're so crumbly, like a dry autumn leaf, I imagine storing them in a jar is best, but mine never made it past the cookie sheet...

Kale Chips
Recipe adapted Feather + Anchor

Curly kale
Olive oil
Sea salt
*Other optional toppings: soy sauce, sesame seeds, cayenne pepper, ground pepper etc.

1. Tear kale into small pieces and drizzle with oil, salt, and any other toppings you wish, and toss until coated. As Erin mentions, keep the oil/liquids to a minimum (I made a batch with too much soy sauce, and they took a lot longer to dry out) and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer without overlapping edges.
2. Bake in a 200º oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the kale is dry and crispy. 
3. Feast.