Put me in front of a bag of potato chips and I turn into a teenage boy playing a video game marathon in the middle of the night….can’t stop…eating. I make it a rule to never buy this stuff for my house because I have no self control. A while ago, I had an abundance of kale available to me and I had no idea what to do with it so the farmer suggested I make kale chips. Alright, I’ll bite.
It’s actually one of the more simple snacks you could make, it ends up being crispy, salty and well, kinda good for you. I’ve experimented with using a dehydrator and different dressings that involve ground nuts for crunch but this one is by the far the simplest and still tasty.
Step 1: Buy a bunch of kale. It doesn’t have to be organic but that’s what Granville Island had for me.
Step 2: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash your kale and salad spin it dry. Rip the leaves off the hard centre stem and put it in a bowl.
Step 3: Put some crap on it! Drizzle a small amount of olive oil and massage it in with your hands. A little goes a long way so just put enough to make it glisten. Add some seasoning, whatever you like, sea salt, lemon pepper…I used a ready made tandoori seasoning from Maison D’Cote because JP’s the man and he makes it for me so I don’t have to.
Step 4: Spread it out on a silpat on a cookie sheet, one layer high only please.
Step 5: Bake for 10-15 minutes, give it a quick stir half way through. It’s done when it’s starts to brown slightly on the edges and it looks dry. Take a couple out to cool and take a bite to see if it’s the way you like it. Be careful because it will burn if you leave it in too long!
Step 6: Eat your hippie-approved snack. I apologize in advance because you WILL be disappointed with the yield, it shrinks like crazy and you’ll end up with only a small bowl of these treats. Still…enjoy and thank yourself for not spending a trillion dollars for the same treat at Wholefoods. (Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Wholefoods!)
Tips and Tricks
1. Buy more kale than you think…two bunches will probably get you two trays worth.
2. Curly kale is easier to make crispy because there is more airflow, you can use sturdy greens like collards but prepared to flip more often
3. Too much oil and your kale will never crisp up
4. If your oven is like mine, it doesn’t ventilate well, shove a wooden spoon in the door to let moisture escape easier