Kale crisps

Inspired by My New Roots adapted from all over the net.

My 3 year old son doesn't like most vegetables. My boyfriend is not better – his favorite veg is bacon, as he says. It is a real drama for a mom who tries to feed her family healthy. I have no choice but to play food tricks and smuggle greens into my boys’ diet.

Kale is well worth smuggling! It is off the charts when it comes to nutrients. It’s the best green in terms of antioxidants. Not surprisingly, kale has been linked to preventing cancer. It is a real superfood we all should be eating regularly. And now the kale season is approaching!

Ingredients:

small bunch of kale

olive oil
sea salt
chili flakes or sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 120°C.

2. Wash kale thoroughly and spin dry to remove as much water as possible. If you don’t have a salad spinner – shake water off the leaves, than use a kitchen cloth to pat them dry.

3. Tear kale away from stem, than tear each leaf into bite-sized pieces.

4. Place kale pieces into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and toss. Massage the leaves with your hands so they fully coated with oil.

5. If you want to give your crisps an extra flavor – sprinkle with sesame seeds or chili flakes. Do not add salt just yet! It will make the kale leaves leach out some water, which might result soggy instead of crispy chips!

6. Lay the kale on the on the parchment paper.

7. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until leaves are crisp. Check the leaves - they should be dry, crispy but still bright green. If the leaves are still a bit soft, leave them in for another 10-15 minutes. Do not let the leaves turn brown (they'll be burnt and bitter) – keep checking them every 5 minutes! Timing depends on your oven and how much olive oil you use. I use convection oven - the air circulation makes crisps bake more evenly. Baking can take longer time if you use a conventional oven.

8. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and serve. (Be careful with salt – because they are so thin, kale crisps are very easy to over salt. I did this mistake twice!) 

These kale crisps are a perfect potato chip alternative! They are good for you and will help satisfy your junk food craving. Give it a go! It’s a very little work and an effect can overwhelm you and your taste buds. Yum!