Kale Chips

Now before you click delete or navigate yourself right out of this post, hear me out. I was a kale chip skeptic. In fact, i was a kale skeptic altogether (just like you are, right?). Kale just looks so incredibly…well…healthy in a good-for-rabbits kind of way. Cooked kale can be a little bitter or even tough to chew if you’re not used to eating greens…so that skepticism may even be warranted in most instances. But not if that bunch of kale is prepared this way. This way it becomes one of the healthiest snack foods you can imagine. But not just healthy – it’s also salty and flavorful and crispy and just plain addictive. Reserve judgment until you’ve tried these. Please.

Why kale? It’s absolutely packed with health benefits and is often cited as a superfood (on lists of such things). If you want to read about all of its merits, check out this link from the World’s Healthiest Foods website – amazing stuff. But in a nutshell, it’s about the most efficient food on the planet for providing a host of nutrients for practically no calories. To get these health benefits, I’ve started to add kale to soups and stews and casseroles – all slow cooking methods with a ton of moisture –  which helps to break it down to a more “chewable” level. But this recipe? This takes it to another level altogether.  This method literally transforms kale from an uber-healthy green to a “pop in a DVD and kick back on the couch” kind of snack.

Betcha can’t eat just one.

Kale Chips

1 bunch fresh kale
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper


1. Preheat oven to 300. Wash and dry kale. Remove hard center “vein” from each leaf with a sharp knife. Cut remaining leaves into “chip sized” pieces. Place in large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
2. Spread kale pieces in a single layer on large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until thoroughly dried and crispy to the touch. Cool and eat.