Today I noticed a recipe in All You magazine for toasted kale. "It tastes just like potato chips!" gushed the author. So since I just happened to have a bunch of kale lying around, I decided to take her up on her dare. Jack helped me to tear the kale into smaller pieces, but he let me coat it with olive oil so that he could keep his hands clean. Then he sprinkled the kale with salt, and we roasted it until it was dry.Man, oh man, was it ever GOOD! I couldn't stop eating the stuff! It didn't really taste like potato chips, but the crunchy little beggars were very good and loads better for me than potato chips.
Jack, being the game guy that he is, tried one and immediately rejected it. Henry, however, really dug them! At least at first he did, then he gave the rest to me because he told me it had lost its flavor.
Just to let you know, I found this Web site that tells you how many nutrients are in a cup of boiled kale with salt (not quite the same, but close). How does 354% of the USRDA of Vitamin A sound? How about 89% of your Vitamin C? And just one gram of fat? Well, admittedly there's more in kale chips since they're roasted in olive oil. But that stuff's pretty good for you, too! Full nutrition data for one cup of boiled, drained kale with salt
Compare this to an 8-ounce bag of potato chips. Surprisingly high in Vitamin C, these little slices of Heaven pack 131% of the USRDA of fat into each bag, plus loads of other stuff your body could do without. Full nutrition data for potato chips
All in all, this recipe was a great find! I could picture myself eating a whole head of kale cooked this way. And with Henry kind of liking it, well that's a bonus.
Toasted Kale
by Lindsay Benjamin, All You editor
Fresh kale
1T olive oil*
Salt
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Tear the fluffy part off of the "stem" of each leaf of kale into potato-chip sized pieces and put them on the cookie sheet. Pour on the oil, toss to coat, then sprinkle with salt. Roast at 375° for 12 minutes or until dry. Drain on paper towels then serve.
Note: Ms. Benjamin originally called for 2T oil, which made the kale a little too greasy for my taste. Try it both ways to see which way you like best.
