Krispy Kale Chips

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I’ve played with making kale chips for awhile now and here are the 3 keys I have found are most important to get them to come out just right: 1.) Set the oven to a low temp (275 degrees) because the process is more about dehydration, not “cooking” them. 2.) Don’t use too much oil or they will stay soggy and not crisp up, and don’t use too little oil or they could burn easily. 3.) Don’t use parchment paper because they stay soggy, just put them on un-greased cookie sheet.

Kale is known to be a “Superfood” – it’s jam-packed with all kinds of nutrients, including lots of  potassium, vitamin C, protein, and omega-3 (you DON’T need fish to get your omega-3, it’s in various plants, kale being just one of them.) And getting our leafy greens in is a great way to stay healthy.

There are so many ways to customize your chips and you can even get a dehydrator which cooks them even more slowly because it’s at a lower heat, which gets them even more krispy and delish, but here’s a standard recipe that I do that will make you want to have these every week.

Ingredients:

• One Large bunch organic kale (they shrink once baked)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Spices and seasonings of your choice. Some of my favorite are those pictured: TJ Everyday Seasoning mix, garlic, powder, sea salt, chili powder (if I’m in the mood for spicy and that extra kick – be careful not to overuse if you’re not used to spicey), smoked paprika, cracked pepper.
• 2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast (this makes it cheesy and is a great source of vitamin B12!)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 275.
2. Rinse, shake out water, and pat dry each kale stalk. Pick off the leaves from the stalk in small’ish sizes (see pic) and put into large bowl. Drizzle on olive oil and “massage” the kale with both hands so that it softens and shrinks and is less “springy”.
3. Add the seasonings, toss with hands. Add the nutritional yeast into the mix and toss once more. Pour 1/2 of them onto un-greased cookie sheet (you will need either two cookie sheets or do two separate batches).
4. Spread the leaves all around so they are as spaced out as possible, like the picture – they will shrink quite a bit. If you want, sprinkle a little more seasonings/yeast on them. Pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes (check them around 15-20 minutes so they don’t burn). And that’s it. Enjoy! 

Dare to make a difference. Go vegan.

Dani