Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Kale Chips: Hail to the Kale!

kale chips are surprisingly really good
Before you click away while saying "yecht!" to the thought of chips made from kale, just stop. Because you would be missing out on my new favorite snack. My new favorite snack that is so simple and good for you.

preparing kale chips

With our weekly delivery of vegetables, we're getting kale every week. Kale, kale, and more kale. And I'm not complaining. I've come to love kale. It's a vegetable that's chock full of vitamins, and I'm working on the glitter river of '09 that says more to more things instead of less. So kale? Bring it on baby. I am not scared of you.

But my secret weapon with kale is to turn them into potato chips. Except they are not potatoes, you don't deep fry them, and you don't add anything to the kale except olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Toss. Bake them in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes or so (watch them very carefully) and voila. You're done. The kale turns into crisp, light airy snacks with the salty crunch of chips.
Kale set to cook

I've been using this beautiful purple kale, which can be hard to watch in the oven because you can't really tell when it's turning black and burning, but with green kale you could easily see the crisp factor. These purple/black crunchy kale chips are my new favorite snack. Trust me. You need to try these for yourself: you'll be surprised.

Hail to Kale Chips
One bunch of kale
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tear or cut the kale into 3 inch pieces. I don't use the thick center rib, but tear pieces away from it instead. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar and salt. Toss the kale in the oil/vinegar mixture, coating the kale as much as possible. Spread kale in single layer on cookie sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, or until crisp. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.

13 comments:

katherynei said...

I had previously heard a similar recipe from a friend and just hadn't gotten around to trying it. He swore by it as well, saying he ate it once a week or more. Thanks for reminding me!

Johnice said...

Thank you for your recipe...must try right away! I ordered some kale chips from somewhere just last week, but they aren't here yet. I have no doubt that I'll love them and probably love the homemade ones better.

Anonymous said...

These look amazing! Thanks for the inspiration. Who do you use for your CSA and are you happy with it?

dig this chick said...

oh my. That is brilliant!

Emily said...

I had a non-stop kale-chip fiesta for a while last summer, and now my girlfriend is having one of her own...so yummy! and yea, healthy!

Tricia said...

You've got to be kidding me... How are you supposed to eat those with dip? or a piece of salami? cheddar cheese and mustard...???

No, no, no. Say no to the kale chips!
Salad, fine. Soup, okay. Maybe even a sandwich (chicken salad, maybe...)Steamed or fried and slathered with garlic, stir fry...

Ewww....no, no, no!

Go back to the green smoothies!

Rozanne said...

I'm not scared of kale, but I am a bit frightened of Swiss chard. I don't know if I've ever had it, even thought I guess it's similar to kale. I'll bet chard has shown up in your CSA box. Any great chard ideas?

Unknown said...

Personally, I like kale. These sound delicious and I'm going to try to make some this weekend. I still drool over those delicious brussel sprouts recipe that you posted several months ago. That is a personal favorite of mine!

Anonymous said...

Hooray for more yumminess from the kitchen of Lelo.

When I was deep into my raw food phase, I would make these in the dehydrator as opposed to the oven, in order to keep the enzymes all buzzy alive. Man, these are good.

I'm echoing the thanks!

Lisa said...

I've just been discovering kale. All these years I've been avoiding it. Who knew it was GOOD? I like this simple approach and I bet those chips taste great. I'll have to try them.

small town dyke said...

we made these this afternoon and they are yummy even the 2 yr old likes them. Thanks for the great tip!

Karolcooks said...

Lelo, can one try this with collard greens?

Anna said...

I love kale anyway, so I'm very excited to try your recipe. It sounds so delicious!!