Kale Chips
What to Make for Dinner…
My daughter has gone back to boarding school and my husband has a work dinner, so tonight it is just my son and I for dinner. I wandered up and down the isles of Whole Foods for a while drawing a blank. I almost never go to the store without a list or at least a plan in my head for what I need. Today was different for some reason, I was just completely drawing a blank! After running into a friend who suggested I grab something in the meat department that is half-way prepared since there are only two of us (great idea!) I settled on a lemon-herb marinated piece of salmon (the hubby is not really a fish fan so this is a good thing to eat without him) and some really big and beautiful looking organic Lacinato Kale (a.k.a. Dinosaur or Tuscan Kale). I decided I will also make some plain jasmine rice in my rice maker, to make things easy.
On a side note, I mention Whole Foods a lot because it is only a few blocks away, so it is an easy walk or bike ride and it is where I shop the majority of the time. Occasionally I schlep out in my car to Safeway for water, paper goods, and some other items I can’t get at Whole Foods or my other local store, Trader Joes.
Below is the recipe for kale chips that I made out of the kale. They are a really yummy way to eat kale and my kids love them (but another thing my husband doesn’t care for). They are crunchy, a bit salty (depending on how salty you like them) and tangy from the vinegar. Yum, flavor explosion! Sometimes they are almost gone before the rest of dinner is made.
Kale Chips
Ingredients:
• 1 large bunch of Lacinato Kale
• 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher sea salt (some people may like more, we are not big salt people).
Procedure:
1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Wash kale thoroughly and pat dry. Remove the center ribs so you just have the dark green leafy part. Slice the kale leaves in half horizontally.
3. Place sliced kale leaves in a large bowl. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to coat the leaves. Add the salt and stir or gently massage with your hands (best) the ingredients into the leaves so they are all covered.
4. Spread the coated kale leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. I often use a silicon baking mat (Silpat) to bake these on and to make clean-up easier.
5. After 7 minutes check to see if any leaves have become crispy (firm but still GREEN), if so, remove them from the baking sheet and put in a serving bowl. Turn over the leaves that are still wet (most will still be wet) and return them to the oven and cook for a few more minutes.
6. Every 3 minutes (or so) re-check for crispy pieces, removing them from the baking sheet and putting the rest back into the oven. This may seem tedious, but the kale can burn quickly and then it is ruined (even slightly brown kale tastes burnt), it took me a few tries before I understood I needed to keep the heat LOW and check on the kale constantly so I don’t burn any of it. If the kale is not overlapping it should all be finished in roughly 10–15 minutes total. When it is all crispy you are finished!
7. May be served warm from the oven or at room temperature, but don’t make it too far ahead of time as it may lose its crispiness over time.
