Thursday, January 7, 2010

Baked Kale Chips

This is a simple way to get some extra greens into you diet. Toast up some curly kale leaves and within minutes you have some "chips" to crunch and munch. It is a great way to really get the salty crunch snacky fix without opening a bag of Lay's potato chips. If you are looking to add fiber, you got it. If you are looking to add energy and oxygen to your cells, this is the snack.



I sometimes struggle with how to consume more greens in my diet. I do drink a lot of green and herbal tea, chlorophyll water and try to add spinach salads or greens smoothies when I can, but sometimes you just get bored, ya know. This snack is different and it is not bitter-yucky tasting like you might think. It is a sweet salty crispy delite. Try it, you might like them. It's easy, fast and cheap.... really what more can you ask for in a snack?


If you are following a new year detox from sugars, dairy, bad fats or what else, this is a snack you don't have to throw out the door. I have not been doing a major drastic cleanse or detox this January, just eliminating some of the allergen foods or trying to add in green veggies as much as possible. Yes, this hard in the middle of winter in very cold Michigan. So, you get what you can, and be creative with what you got. If you are looking to have more energy, or simple just have regular digestion... I would encourage you to try and add more greens and fiber to your diet. Not fake fiber bars, or fake fiber water... seriously do you think you can drink fiber, weird. But the real food kind of fix. Real green leaves and real whole grains that you have to make from scratch. Those are the foods we should invest our money and time in. Besides it wouldn't hurt to slow down for a bit and make a pot of brown rice. Part of the benefit is actually taking the time to slow down and prepare from scratch. It's an exercise of the time and a good practice to try and add more to your life. So here we go... the simple ingredients to make baked kale chips.



Baked Kale Chips
1 "head" or bunch of organic curly green kale (you can try other kale varieties as well)
1 TB of extra virgin olive oil
1 ts. of balsamic vinegar
1 ts. of sea salt
dash of cracked pepper, cayenne pepper, or sesame seeds if you so desire some more spice

You could add different oils or vinegar as well if you are looking to make a variation... like rice vinegar, or sesame oil, or grape seed oil. Really use what you have. Just make sure to stay away from trans fat oils. Using unrefined organic oils are the best and keep you cleaner.

Wash kale leaves thoroughly under clean water and then cut off the stems (use for a soup, broth or stew), then cut or tear the large leaves into bite sized chips and put in a bowl. Mix by hand the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and then lay out on a cookie sheet (with parchment paper) to bake at 375 for 8 minutes on each side. If you need to bake longer to crisp up to your desired texture, then go for it. I kinda like them a little crispier myself. You will want to have them cool down and "dry" out for a few minutes before eating. Also, to store them you may want to not put them in a closed container too quickly because the moisture will cause them to be less crispy. Not that you are going to need to store them ;) Now Enjoy!

3 comments:

  1. these actually ARE tasty in case any of your readers are scared to try them ;) I was given the recipe/idea by a friend of mine and agreed to try them only after she raved about them. Now, if I could just get my 4 year old to TRY them I know she'd love them too!

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  2. update: 4 year old LOVES them and can eat a whole bunch of Kale this way herself, lol

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  3. Nola- love that your 4 year old loves these :)

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