Kale Chips

I love kale. I know kale was so 2014 but I've joined the bandwagon and I love it! I love to sneak it into foods and dice it up into just about anything. It is kind of like spinach and can be hidden when it needs to be. Now kale chips, are a whole new awakening. It is something I feel like after much tweaking I've finally gotten good at. If you want a salty crispy healthy super food (see my trendy words I'm using) then you've come to the right place.

Lets get started.

First you want to wash your kale. I've made the mistake of just lightly rinsing it before and it actually can be quite sandy. So take the extra time and rinse each leaf. After you wash it you can start to de stem them. You can do this with a knife or you can do my favorite method and pull the leafy part away from the base and essentially rip the stem out. Pretty handy.

Once you have de stemmed you can tear the kale into pieces. Think bite size, its ok if some are small and some are big it makes them all the more chip-like. Get all your kale into a large mixing bowl. This is where my trial and error starts to come into play. I like to add fresh dill to my kale chips. I grow dill when its in season, it it one of the herbs I surprisingly don't kill, but if you don't have fresh dried dill is actually really flavorful so don't feel inadequate. Mince up your dill (or sprinkle a couple teaspoons if you are doing dried dill) and add it to your bowl. Next, is what I feel is the most important step. I have eaten a lot of sub par kale chips to get to where I am today and I think this next step has something to do with it. You'll want to coat your kale chips lightly with oil, I say lightly but it is important that it is an even coating. I use extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil and vegetable oil. I think they offer a great balance of flavor, fat and freshness. Remember you'll just want to lightly coat the kale to keep it from getting greasy. After you've got it coated with oil its time to season. This is the fun part because you can literally use any combination you want. I like to go with a ranch style flavor with a touch of heat. I like to use salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and chipotle chili powder (this is the heat but also adds a great smokiness). Be sure you are stirring while you season so that the kale is evenly seasoned. Spread it out onto a sheet pan and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

I LOVE a crispy kale chip and so I always look for a bit of brown on the edges to know when they are done. Once you let them cool and try one there is no turning back. You get the fresh dill flavor and smokey chipotle with a great salty finish. If you can get them crispy enough they will literally melt in your mouth. I love taking these to a gathering because you can make a huge batch of them for a low cost and they go quick!