Crunchy, slightly salty, and addictive... like potato chips, if potato chips were full of iron, fiber, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, and C. The pictures don't do justice to how crunchy these are!
I first had raw kale chips at the Prana Cafe in Newton. They were so delicious and addictive that I did a little Googling to see if it's possible to make kale chips at home without a dehydrator. It sure is! Possible and so easy. Kale Chips would be a really fun alternative to a big bowl of tortilla chips at a holiday cocktail party. (Although kale probably doesn't soak up martinis very well...)
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tablespoons sesame seeds
Salt to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
Pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. "Preheat" (if you can call it that) the oven to 225.
2. Strip the kale leaves from their stalks and tear into manageable chunks (not too small). Wash the kale and drain in a salad spinner to get rid of as much water as you can.
3. Pour the olive oil, sesame seeds, salt and pepper over the kale. Using your hands "massage" the olive oil and seasonings into the kale in order to evenly distribute throughout all those little kale nooks.
4. Spread the kale on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour (depending on how much moisture was in your kale and how hot your oven is.) The leaves should be totally crispy and crunchy when they're done.
Enjoy! Betcha can't eat just one!
OOOOH delicious.
ReplyDeleteI keep seeing this everywhere, and for some reason I haven't tried it yet. Every time I see this described it is never without the words easy and addicting, what's holding me back? who knows! love this variation with the sesame, yum. I made your bhindi masala last week, holy moly delicious! I'll be posting about it soon
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah! I'm glad you enjoyed the Bindi Masala... it was my first foray into the world of okra and now I can't live without it! If you decide to try the kale chips out let me know how they go!
ReplyDeleteHi, just stumbled across your blog, love it already! Kale chips are SO good...when I make them at home I have a slightly different recipe: just kale, splash of apple cider vinegar, and some kosher salt. Toss it all up, slap it on a tin-foiled or olive oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350* till they're crispy but if they're too wet you can crank the heat up to 400* for a little bit, just keep an eye on them so they don't sizzle!
ReplyDeleteI love sesame seeds so i've got to give your recipe a go!
Thanks so much for your comment! The apple cider vinegar sounds tangy ad delicious! I'll have to try that on my next batch. Thanks again for sharing your technique! Anna
ReplyDeleteI bought my organic kale today, but I got RED kale because Whole Foods was sold out of green. I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow, and I'll let you know how it works with the red kale! I might even make two batches, and do one your way and one with the vinegar. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat! I'd love to hear how the red kale works and what you think of the vinegar / no vinegar options. Fun! Keep me posted!
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ReplyDeleteHi Anna. I've been meaning to write and tell you my results. The holidays. Oy.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my first attempt was not very successful for several reasons, not one of which has anything to do with the recipe or your instructions.
I bought a new LG electric range about a year ago, and I have long suspected that the oven cooks hotter than I ask it to, so I think the kale just cooked too long. Because it was red kale, it was also hard to tell if it was getting brown or if it was just the red pigment changing color in the heat. And on top of that, I didn't have regular sesame seeds, but I had black sesame, and I was really in the mood to try the recipe, to I took that leap of faith, too. And dropped like a stone from the sky.
SO, my hubby's making a trip to Home Depot today, and I've asked him to pick up an oven thermometer so I can check the temperature once and for all. Then, I've got to hit Whole Foods again very soon, so I'll try the kale again and look for green instead of red, AND I'll buy some white sesame seeds. Then I'll report back in a couple of days to let you know how it goes.
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ReplyDeleteI finally got around to making these, and they are SO tasty. Thank you for the great recipe. My husband loves them so much I had to take them away from him because he was about to eat ALL of them (and I wanted to make sure I got some!). -- Becca in Nashville
ReplyDeleteyay for prana cafe! good stuff there.
ReplyDeletei will have to try these kale chips. i am a big fan overall of kale chips.
Beccastin,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed them!! I know what you mean, they are so addictive! Don't you love when something that tastes so good can be good for you too?! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with the recipe! Happy New Year!
Bitt,
I know! I love the Prana Cafe. Their raw burrito and flax crackers are so good! I've been meaning to take one of their raw cooking workshops. Thanks so much for your comment! Happy New Year!
Anna
Finally . . . YUM! They ARE wonderful and earthy and tasty and addictive! Thank you for sharing! I noticed that the new Vegetarian Times has a recipe for kale chips now, too!
ReplyDeleteMonica.... yay! I'm so glad they came out well! Addictive is right! Holy mole, a whole bunch of kale can disappear in seconds! My Vegetarian Times hasn't arrived yet but I can't wait to see their take on them! Thanks again for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnna
ANNA! I made these chips today and they were delish! And, BONUS, they didn't make me feel like puking on your pretty hair!
ReplyDeleteBecky
Hahahahaha I'm glad you're feeling better, my dear!! And I'm glad you liked the kale chips! I hope the kale's magical nutrient powers cured you so we can play soon! xoxo
ReplyDeleteCan I say yes?! These look amazing...I want to make them this weekend. Thanks for sharing... Saw your post on the OEF :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Christine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments! If you do get a chance to make them this weekend let me know what you think / how they come out. Thanks for visiting Two Blue Lemons!
Anna
Thanks so much for this recipe! My favorite snack these days! Even my man, who doesn't understand my kale obsession, thinks these chips are great. After making these four times, I'm positive I could devour a batch of these every day.
ReplyDelete225 is a perfect temp in my oven (as opposed to 350 suggested by another commenter). A dash of soy sauce instead of salt is delicious, too. The apple cider vinegar variation didn't work well in my oven.
Ainsley,
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to hear that you're hooked on the kale chips! I support your batch-a-day habit... I still can't get over how something so good for you can be so tasty!
Thanks so much for your temperature and recipe comments. I think I just might have to make some of these today!
Anna
I have tried kale chips a few times and love them but sometimes they are chewy??? Some cook them on 350 and some 225 degrees, which is the correct temperature ? Maybe I need to cook them longer, but then some would burn????
ReplyDeleteHi, Bettie!
ReplyDeleteGreat question. I would suggest maybe using two baking sheets so that you can make sure the "chips" are really spread out evenly so that some of them don't burn while others are still "chewy". Another thing that might work is rotating your baking sheets in the oven. Sometimes the back of the oven is hotter and maybe that is causing some of the baking irregularities. You can cook them low and slow at 225, but you could also try 300. That might help with monitoring their "doneness" without having to wait so long to eat 'em!
Let me know how the next batch goes! And thanks so much for your great comment!
Happy eating!
Anna
This sounds amazing! On my next trip to Whole Foods, kale will surely be on the list. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds amazing! Do you mind if I feature you in my new series 100 recipes from 100 blogs? You can read more about it here: http://www.theforeigndomestic.com/2012/01/from-your-kitchen-to-mine-100-recipes.html
ReplyDeleteThanks Kirsten and yes please use it! Happy eating!
ReplyDeleteI featured your recipe today: http://www.theforeigndomestic.com/2012/03/from-your-kitchen-to-mine-recipes-51-55.html Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteHow do you store them for leftovers? One time I put them in a ziplock baggie, and the next day they were soggy and smelled horrible...SO, maybe I should eat them all in one day!!
ReplyDeleteGood question Tina! Yes, we do usually eat them all in one day but if not I typically keep them on a baking tray covered with a kitchen towel - just on the counter. Hope that helps!
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