Kale is a tasty, leafy, green vegetable in the cabbage family. It contains high amounts of vitamins A and K, and it’s a good source of iron and fiber.
Making kale into “chips” for snacking is easy–and it costs much less than some of the pre-packaged kale chips you might see in stores. Because kale chips are salty and crispy, they’re a fabulous fix for those “in front of the TV munchies” that can be difficult to resist. They are SO MUCH better for you than potato chips! Here’s a quick recipe.
Kale Chips
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of kale (You can use more or less, but you’ll need to modify the rest of the ingredients, to taste.)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. sea salt (can substitute 1 tsp. of Bragg’s liquid amino acids)
- Any other seasonings you want to add (Ideas: pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, vinegar, Tabasco sauce)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash kale. Break off the leafy parts into bite-sized pieces.
- Put kale pieces into large mixing bowl.
- Add olive oil, salt (or liquid amino acids), and any other seasonings you choose. Mix well until the kale pieces are well coated. Depending on how much kale you use, you may need to modify the amounts of olive oil, salt, and seasoning, but try to stay within the recommended serving sizes.
- Line one baking sheet (cookie sheet) with foil, and spread the kale pieces out so that they’re evenly distributed.
- Bake for 15-30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to avoid over-cooking.
- When the kale chips are slightly browned at the edges, remove from oven. You can eat them right away (careful–they’ll be hot!). Or, after they cool, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them.
Servings: Number of servings depends on how much kale you choose to use. 1 lb. of uncooked kale yields approximately 1.25 cups when cooked.
Nutritional facts: 1 cup of kale chips has approximately 60 calories, less than 4 g of fat, 4 g fiber, and 2.21 g protein. Just 1/2 cup serving of kale contains 76% DV of vitamin A and 778% vitamin K (so double that if you eat a full cup).
