Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Kale Chips

Here comes an audaciously bold statement:

You may never need another potato chip after you try these.

I just ate a whole head of kale; I didn't even notice because it was so good. 

It couldn't be more simple. 

Cut the kale away from the center stem.

Chop it up (but not into really small pieces, 
or it will disappear when it shrinks up in the oven.)
About like this.

Add olive oil and salt to a bowl.  
Sometimes I substitute garlic salt or other fun spices (cumin or paprika). 

Use your best kitchen tools (a.k.a. your hands) to toss it up.

Place the leaves on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Pull it out at 10 minutes, give it a little stir, and bake for 10-15 minutes more.


The chips become transparent, the colors deep like a stained glass window.  
It's truly a beautiful thing to eat.


Kale Chips
Serves 2 to 4

1 (8-ounce) bunch large curly kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pat the kale with paper towels. It is important that the leaves are very dry, as oil doesn’t mix with water.

Cut away the center spine from each kale leaf and discard the spine. When removing the spine, go ahead and cut through to the top of the leaf so you have 2 pieces. Keep the leaves as halves, or cut each piece in half again.

Use your hands to mix the kale, oil and salt in a large bowl.  Coat kale leaves well.

Arrange the kale pieces in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets and then bake until they are crisp, about 25 minutes. Check the kale every 10 minutes or so and turn some pieces over if they look too toasty.

The kale chips will stay crisp and fresh for up to 1 week, stored in a sealed container or bag.

Recipe modified slightly from Ann Gentry's cookbook, Vegan Family Meals


Fun variations (from Vegan Family Meals): Wash, cut, coat, and bake the kale according to the directions above. Instead of seasoning the kale with just olive oil and salt, try any of these variations.

Because some of these variations include maple syrup, which makes the kale brown faster, cooking times will range from 15 to 25 minutes, so check the kale often to determine doneness.

Vinegar and Sea Salt: Combine 1 tablespoon vinegar (balsamic, apple cider, or brown rice), 1 tablespoon olive oil or a neutral cooking oil, and ¹⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt.

Maple-Coconut: Combine 2 tablespoons finely shredded unsweetened dried coconut, 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 tablespoon sunflower oil or a neutral cooking oil, and ¹⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt.

Garlic-Sesame: Combine 2 tablespoons sesame seeds or hemp seeds, 1 tablespoon olive oil or a neutral cooking oil, 1 tablespoon tamari, and 1 clove garlic, minced.

Hot and Spicy: Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil or a neutral cooking oil, 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, ¹⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¹⁄8 teaspoon chili powder, and ¹⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt.

Kale Dust for Popcorn: Crush the baked kale chips with your fingers or with a mortar and pestle into a fine powder. Sprinkle the crushed kale over popcorn. It’s colorful and nutritious; my kids love this one.

Here's the printable recipe...

5 comments:

Kellie said...

I cannot TELL you how excited I am to try this!! My husband is on the Ideal Protein diet and has a VERY limited menu. But kale, olive oil and salt he CAN have! Thank you!

Ginny said...

Yay, Kellie!! I'm so glad this is something your husband can have, and I think you will BOTH love this recipe.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

You make these sound like the cat's whiskers... ok, they are on my shopping list

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Hello my new friend... Well, with a couple of changes (three ingredients and I make two changes... go figure). Anyway, with a couple of changes, i made kale Chips last night and LOVED EM!!! Thank you so much for the idea. Loved em so much I already posted my version (with credit to your post of course)

Dave

http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/2011/08/kale-chips-ala-cooking-with-chopin.html

Anonymous said...

Ah! I LOVE kale chips! I feel so much better about myself when I stuff myself on chips that are also vegetables--even if they are drowned in oil and salt.
Way to spread the kale love!