Eats: No Fail Kale Chips
Friday, April 29, 2011 at 3:58PM Okay...what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of kale?
Whaaaat? Ewwwwww. Gross. No thanks! What do I do with it? Creepy. Too healthy.
Honestly, I never have even heard of kale before the C word. The first time I saw it, I thought of all of those things. But...when the lovely Whole Foods put it in a perfect package, with garlic, onion, and swiss chard, I knew I needed to try it. Thankfully my good friend Megan was in town and she showed me how to whip it up. She sauteed it and added sesame seeds and tamari. It was delicious! I was absolutely sold. Since then, I have done a little fishing around and I discovered how incredibly beneficial kale is for your body.
What if I told you that kale is one of the most healthiest vegetables you can eat.
- Kale is one of the foods that may protect against cancer. George Mateljan states, " at the top of the cancer-related research for kale are colon cancer and breast cancer, but risk of bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer have all been found to decrease in relationship to routine intake of kale."
- It detoxes the liver and help neutralize carcinogenic substances.
- It is an excellent source of vitamin A which helps with vision.
- The creepy green plant is also very high in Vit C to help keep our immune system strong and it also gives us a boost of antioxidants.
- According to George Mateljan, "fiber and omega-3s are two macronutrients largely deficient in the U.S. diet and provided by kale in impressive amounts. It only takes 200 calories' worth of kale to provide 15 grams of fiber - substantially more than the average U.S. adult gets in an entire day after a diet of 2,000 calories. And while kale is not as concentrated in omega-3s as some of the other cruciferous vegetables - and certainly not in the same category as walnuts or salmon - it still provides us with a significant amount of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the basic building block for all omega-3 fats."
- Kale is extremely high in nutrients and also very low in calories. One cup of cooked kale contains only 36 calories.
I love kale torn up in little pieces in a pasta salad, or bite sized chunks mixed with avocado, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and cayenne for a yummy salad, and my main, main use is blended raw in smoothies.
But..... one of my most adored ways of eating it, is as chips. Now, I am a chip lovin' girl. People who know me, know that if you open a bag of chips, they will be confiscated and eaten up. I am not joking. I LOVE salt and I am addicted to crunchy salty things. No wonder this recipe is a hit. Now, thanks to my No Fail Kale Chips I don't feel like such a piggy after eating them all!
Now the big secret is to make sure the kale is completely dry. If the kale has some water on it, it will steam not crisp. Also, watch it closely. The times vary from oven to oven.
Now get to the kitchen and try this. You won't be disappointed!
No Fail Kale Chips
- 1 bunch of kale
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- corse salt
Directions
- heat oven to 350 degrees
- remove thick stem
- tear kale into 1 1/2 inch bites
- drizzle olive oil and squish into kale
- add salt
- bake for 10-15 minutes until crisp
Variations
- add lemon juice before you put into oven
- add cayenne pepper and garlic powder
- sprinkle with nutritional yeast
- splash it with cider vinegar and pepper
- add soy sauce
- sprinkle with parmesan
Let me tell you somethin' about kale,
I made it for my two lovely males
and the tasty chips did not fail!
All hail the powerful Kale!
