Baked Kale Chips

I love Kale.  It’s great with eggs, salad, and stir fry.  A new friend also recently introduced me to Kale pizza.  I was at the co-op the other day picking up lunch on my break when I came across an end-cap filled with Kale Chips covered in seasonings and spices.  My mouth began to water as I eyed the crispy vegetable seasoned with Turmeric.  I happily picked up the package, ready to take the little gem back to the office with me when I noticed the price.  $7.99 for a three-ounce package.  New plan: buy Kale and make it myself.  I grabbed a large bunch of Kale for $.99 and began to brainstorm the different flavors I could make.  I settled on half habanero, half curry by the time I got home.

What you need:

1 large bunch of Kale

Seasoning of choice

1 T olive oil

The Process

Cut the stems off and rinse the leaves in a strainer or salad spinner.  If you strain them, let them air dry or pat the leaves dry.  They won’t crisp as well if they go in the oven wet.  I left them in the sink and did something else.  Life is too short to be pat-drying the nooks and crannies of Kale.

Toss them in the olive oil once they are dry.  For mine, I tossed one half with habanero olive oil, and the other half with regular olive oil.  Lay them in a single layer on a cooking sheet.  Sprinkle your favorite seasoning over the greens.  I didn’t want to add any sodium to my snack so I used curry powder on one half and just the habanero oil on the other.

Bake them in a 325 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  I kept a good eye on mine, checking them every four minutes or so.  I would have been all annoyed if I burnt them beyond consumption.  They cooked for about 13 minutes.

The Stats: 2 cups cooked: 66 calories, 58 mg sodium (no salt added), 4 grams protein

The Review They tasted great right out of the oven and even better as a night snack in front of a movie.  So basically, they were really good and I ate them all.  I have been thinking of them for days and will most likely make them for the roommates sometime soon.

Do you have a recipe you want Happy Times to transform into a healthy, low sodium snack, appetizer or meal?  Visit the contact page for more information!