Kale Chips

Growing up, kale was never found on my family's dining room table. Until I learned about it in Nutrition and Health, kale was not even a part of my vocabulary. We learned of it's high vitamin K, A & C content, its fiber content and many other nutrients like iron, calcium, etc. The benefits of the cruciferous powerhouse sounded so enticing, but if it tasted good why was it never in my refrigerator before? Insanely skeptical I started googling kale recipes, and stumbled upon one that promised only good things. After making my own version of roasted kale the crispy crunch left me no choice but to surrender and admit defeat. They were as addicting as potato chips, but with only 36 calories per cup (of raw kale) they are much nicer to my hips. Trust me peeps, this recipe is most definitely worth trying. Not to mention it takes all of 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 425.

Wash and dry the kale leaves very well (attention: there can be a lot of dirt in the center by the stem). Next, remove the leaves from the stem by simply pulling the leaf off, as you would when removing herbs from their stems. Toss the stems.

Chop the leaves into smaller- 1 inch pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and optional garlic powder. Also, if you want spicy chips consider using cayenne or crushed red pepper as well. Lay them out on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, just as the leaves start to brown, pull them out and let them sit for a few seconds to finish crunching up. Peace out Lay's. Serves 4. Enjoy!