Kale Chips – Healthy Delicious And Frugal Snack
I never thought I would want to try making Kale Chips. It just seemed like such an odd recipe. But, not only did I try them, I liked them, and now I am hooked on them!
A while back, I started seeing recipes start popping up all over the place for Kale Chips. Since I cook kale quite often in soups, stews, or even just sauteed in a skillet as a side dish, I finally thought, “Why not?” So, I gave Kale Chips a try and now they are one of our favorite snacks; and not just me, but my husband and daughter have grown quite fond of them, as well.
The nutritional value is tremendous, which makes this recipe appealing right from the start. But, add in how cheap kale is and I just can’t see a reason NOT to make this snack.
And the best news is they taste great! With just a bit of natural tartness, they don’t need much more flavoring. I just sprinkle on a bit of kosher salt after they come out of the oven. Of course, a light sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese is nice, too.
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. It took me a while to convince myself that the recipe would work and that it would taste good. Now I make Kale Chips several times a week and they never last long enough even to cool off! Enjoy!
| Kale Chips |
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt
- optional: other seasonings such as grated Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or herbs
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees* and get out a large baking sheet. (*Oven temperatures vary. Be sure to watch your first batch carefully, and then adjust temperature according to your oven.)
- Wash the kale.
- Cut the leafy part of the kale off of the stems; discard the stems.
- Cut the kale into pieces about the size of a quarter. Try to keep all the pieces as close to the same size as possible.
- This part is very important – thoroughly dry the kale. Use a salad spinner if you have one. If not, dry with paper towels or with the ‘swinging towel’ method where you bundle the kale inside a clean towel and swing the towel around in big circles.
- Place the dry kale in a big bowl, drizzle on the olive oil, and mix with your hands until the kale is coated. Don’t use too much olive oil or the kale will get soggy instead of crispy.
- Dump the kale onto the baking sheet and spread out into as much of a single layer as possible.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Then, using tongs, pick the kale up and flip it around and over as much as possible.
- Slide back into oven and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until the kale starts to get dark in color and begins to crisp.
- Again using tongs, toss the kale around once more. They should be crispy enough to remove from the oven, but if not, you can let them bake for another 5 minutes, more or less.
- Remove the baking pan and toss them around again. The kale chips will actually get crispier once they are removed from the oven and you toss them around.
- Salt lightly, taste, and add more seasoning if desired.
- Serve as snacks or toppings for soups, stews, or casseroles. You can also mix in with quinoa, rice, or pasta dishes.
Once you get the process down, you’ll be making Kale Chips more and more often, and finding lots of ways to use them. But, like I said, they rarely last long enough to make it to another dish in our house. Truth be told, they rarely make it off the baking sheet!
Give these nutritious snacks a try and be sure to come back and comment below with your thoughts.
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