Baked Kale Chips

As mentioned in my last post, I picked up a bunch of kale at the farmer's market. One thing I really wanted to try with it is baked kale chips. I've seen them around on various blogs, and I've read kale chips can help calm your potato chip cravings, so it was worth a try!

In the end, there's a few things I'd do differently the second time around, but they definitely have potential.

Kale is a leafy green vegetable that's considered a "superfood." It's high in fiber and dense in nutrients. It's a good substitution for lettuce in your salad if you're not a big vegetable eater--more bang for your buck! I'm also excited to try it in my protein smoothies.

First, preheat the oven to 375. Next, tear the leafs from the stems. Toss leafs with vegetable oil in a bowl or ziplock bag. Add garlic powder and shake until the leaves are evenly coated. One mistake I made was using too much garlic powder. Just give a light sprinkle.

Next, lay the leafs out on a cookie sheet with a sheet of tin foil. This helps in cleanup and makes the kale more crispy. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and put in the over. (You could really use any seasoning you want...the recipe I followed used garlic powder and parmesan cheese.)

The recipe I followed called for baking them for 15 minutes. This was about 5 minutes too long and my chips had a little more of a charred taste than I care for. I flipped them at about the 7 minute mark. If I did it again, I'd bake for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.

It really was a strange taste. They really did taste like potato chips, just much thinner and tasted a little burnt since I cooked them too long. They were very crunchy and I'm excited to give it another try.

I thought they were OK, Kevin didn't care for them, and Brian actually liked them. We also boiled sweet corn, grilled potatoes, and grilled burgers and chicken breast. It was a delicious Saturday lunch.

 Yum yum!