I never thought I'd see my kids fight over kale. Everytime I make these kale chips, however, I wish I had made a whole bunch more. There's a million ways you can make them, and when I look around the Internet, I discover more combinations I'd never thought of. If you're not already on this kale bandwagon that's sweeping the nation, get on board right now and go make some!
Nutritional Benefits of Kale
Kale is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. In only one cup of kale, you get 192% of your daily allowance of Vitamin A, and 88% of your daily Vitamin C. It contains 10% of your daily requirement of fiber and calcium as well. The phytonutrients in kale, along with the antioxidant properties of Vitamins A and C, make it a very effective defense against free radical damage, aka cancer. Kale actually helps to detoxify the body of harmful chemicals. With all of these benefits and low caloric value, the more you can eat of this stuff, the better. So make way more of these kale chips than you'd planned!
Basic Kale Chips Recipe
Wash and dry at least one bunch of curly kale. Cut the leaves off of the stalk and into small-ish pieces. Think chip-size!
Toss the kale pieces in extra-virgin olive oil and some Celtic or Himalayan salt.
Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 250 degrees, or until dry and crispy but not too brown. Turn the leaves over a few times while cooking. Enjoy until they're gobbled up by everyone else.
Kale Chips Variations
I've tried several variations on the recipe that were also great. Get creative, and share your recipes in the comments below!
Always use olive oil, and try adding:
Parmesan, garlic and lemon juice.
Tamari and nutritional yeast.
Crushed almonds, balsamic vinegar, and bread crumbs.