It isn't really Tuesday... But I have time and a great recipe to share, and I really like the sound of "Tasty Tuesday" - so here we are.
Kale is a leafy green and a fantastic source of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants and is considered by many to be a "superfood". You can find more on the reasons to eat this lovely plant here.
There are a lot of kale chip recipes out there, but most of them are at a higher temperature and can be tricky. This one is at a lower temperature, basically using the oven as more of a giant, hot dehydrator. My kids LOVE these, we will eat an entire batch for an afternoon snack. My 5-year-old enjoys helping me make them - the process of massaging in the olive oil is one of the few times that I actually *encourage* her to play with her food.
We usually make these plain, with regular olive oil and a pinch of salt. For extra trace minerals, try some Real Salt or other natural or sea salt! You can also try using flavored olive oil or add in some spices of choice - curry kale chips are fun, we also enjoy some cumin and garlic powder sometimes.
All you need is an hour or so when you are home and able to check the oven once in a while. Moment of truth: I put in a batch of these, went to put my kids to bed for their naps, laid down with my daughter for just a minute and woke up an hour later to the smell of kale. They were pretty crunchy - but survived their extended cooking without stirring. Not recommended procedure, but it does prove that this method is pretty fail-safe :-)
One last thing: Please choose organic! Kale is on the "dirty dozen" list of produce that is conventionally grown with the highest amounts of persistent pesticides.
Kale is a leafy green and a fantastic source of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants and is considered by many to be a "superfood". You can find more on the reasons to eat this lovely plant here.
There are a lot of kale chip recipes out there, but most of them are at a higher temperature and can be tricky. This one is at a lower temperature, basically using the oven as more of a giant, hot dehydrator. My kids LOVE these, we will eat an entire batch for an afternoon snack. My 5-year-old enjoys helping me make them - the process of massaging in the olive oil is one of the few times that I actually *encourage* her to play with her food.
We usually make these plain, with regular olive oil and a pinch of salt. For extra trace minerals, try some Real Salt or other natural or sea salt! You can also try using flavored olive oil or add in some spices of choice - curry kale chips are fun, we also enjoy some cumin and garlic powder sometimes.
All you need is an hour or so when you are home and able to check the oven once in a while. Moment of truth: I put in a batch of these, went to put my kids to bed for their naps, laid down with my daughter for just a minute and woke up an hour later to the smell of kale. They were pretty crunchy - but survived their extended cooking without stirring. Not recommended procedure, but it does prove that this method is pretty fail-safe :-)
One last thing: Please choose organic! Kale is on the "dirty dozen" list of produce that is conventionally grown with the highest amounts of persistent pesticides.
Kale Chips: low and slow
1 bunch organic kale
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt (literally - my measuring spoon says "pinch" - this is about 1/16 tsp), more to taste
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Wash and dry the kale. Tear into pieces - they will shrink as they dry, so a bit bigger than you want your final chips to be. Discard the tough inner ribs of the leaves.
Put the torn kale in a layer on a cookie sheet with edges (this will help prevent it from spilling out when stirring). Drizzle on olive oil. This is the fun part - use your hands to work the oil into the leaves, massaging to ensure that the kale is evenly coated. You can just rub any extra oil into your hands when you are done :-) Sprinkle with salt.
Put in 250 degree oven and check back every 20 minutes to give it a stir. Depending on the moisture content of your kale, it may take 40 minutes to over an hour. When done, the kale will be crispy and light with no soggy pieces.
Enjoy!
1 bunch organic kale
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt (literally - my measuring spoon says "pinch" - this is about 1/16 tsp), more to taste
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Wash and dry the kale. Tear into pieces - they will shrink as they dry, so a bit bigger than you want your final chips to be. Discard the tough inner ribs of the leaves.
Put the torn kale in a layer on a cookie sheet with edges (this will help prevent it from spilling out when stirring). Drizzle on olive oil. This is the fun part - use your hands to work the oil into the leaves, massaging to ensure that the kale is evenly coated. You can just rub any extra oil into your hands when you are done :-) Sprinkle with salt.
Put in 250 degree oven and check back every 20 minutes to give it a stir. Depending on the moisture content of your kale, it may take 40 minutes to over an hour. When done, the kale will be crispy and light with no soggy pieces.
Enjoy!
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