How to Make...Kale Chips (4 Easy Steps to Delicious Kale Chips)

I love kale. Kale is amazing. It's delicious. It's guilt-free. It's just an incredible vegetable that is so versatile and probably one of the healthiest leafy greens you can add to your diet. 

For those of you who have no idea what the heck kale even is, here's a definition:
Kale is a vegetable closely related to the wild cabbage and can be in the form of green or purple leaves. The leaves are thick, textured, and perfect for eating raw or cooking. Kale is being called "the queen of greens" due to its powerhouse nutritional benefits.

You can get kale at any supermarket or local farmer's market but I find that the best kale always come from local farmer's market. They're also usually half the price so why not support your local farmers? :)

Look for thick textured leaves vibrant in colour. If it feels limp or looks like it's yellowing on the edges, leave it.

Here are four steps to easy peasy homemade kale chips!

1) Wash your kale leaves thoroughly in cold water. Make sure you hit all the areas between the leafy edges where dirt can hide.

2) Remove the leaves from the stem by holding the end of the stem with one hand and pushing the leaves outwards with your other hand. You should be able to slide the leaves off pretty easily using this method. 

Tear the leaves into bite size pieces and dry them with a paper towel. Remember, they will shrink in the oven so don't make them *tiny*.

3) Pour a bit of extra virgin olive oil to the leaves (about 1-2 tablespooon) and MASSAGE them into the leaves. This part is so important because you want each leaf to be covered in a thin film of oil. This will not only ensure crisp kale chips but will also help the spices stick.

Rub it in gooood. :) Next, crack salt and pepper and give it a good shimmy.

 4) Preheat the oven to 300F and bake for 10 minutes. You want it at a low heat like 300F so it doesn't burn the chips and make them bitter. After 10 minutes, take it out, reassess, and flip the leaves if some look like their are crispier than others. I usually do it for another 5-10 minutes and it's done!

The final product! It's so delicious and if you ask me, it can curb any salty late night craving. You can either make these in a small conventional oven like me or a regular large one with a full size baking sheet.

I will now leave you with some health benefits of kale chips (as if you need any more reason to make them)

1) Kale is low in calories, high in fiber, and has zero fat

2) Kale is high in iron, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A

3) Kale has powerful antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids to help protect against various cancers

4) Kale is high in calcium

5) Kale can be a great detox food due to its high fiber and sulfur content (keeps your liver healthy!)

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! 

Other popular healthy recipes:

• Healthy Banana Bread Recipe here
• Berry Greek Yogurt Recipe here
• Apple Pie Baked in Apple Recipe here
• Mango and Avocado Quinoa Salad with Blackened Shrimp Recipe here

Happy Eating!

 

courtesy of www.quickmeme.com