Recipe #84: Kale Chips

This summer was the first time I tried kale. The first time I made it I sauteed it in a large frying pan and served it as a side dish. I absolutely fell in love with this vegetable but unfortunately I have not gotten around to cooking it again until now. Since cutting out most chips and crackers I wanted a snack that has that kind of crunch you get from a chip that you just can't get from a handful of pretzels or peanuts. I've been hearing about kale chips for some time since they've really become popular in this last year.

Those who have tried these seem to have very strong reactions towards them - they either love them or hate them. Well tonight I decided to try these to determine for myself whether they deserve the hype they have received. This recipe: http://funwidfud.blogspot.com/2012/08/kale-chips.html was very simple to make. The part that consumed the most time was cleaning the kale and ripping off the leaves. Easy. They baked very quickly, they had big flavor, they were very healthy, and the best part: they had a great crunch! So what was the consensus, might you ask? I loved them!

Ingredients:

* 1 large bunch of Kale (4-5 stems)
* Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Sea Salt
* Red Pepper Flakes




Cooking Directions:

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash the kale and rip the leaves off into bite size pieces.

On a large cookie sheet add the kale leaves.

Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the leaves and make sure they are well coated.

Then sprinkle a desired amount of sea salt and red pepper flakes over the top of the leaves.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 12-15 minutes and cook until the tips of the leaves are lightly brown.

Be careful not to burn and let cool before eating.