Kale Chips

Over the past few months, I have been reading about kale chips and have seen them everywhere. I must say I've been intrigued, but was a little afraid to try them. I love kale (and most other greens). I use it in salads, saute it, and have used it in soups, but for some reason, the idea of baking it into chips was scary to me.

I'm now on a health kick though, and it is hard to find satisfying yet healthy chips, so I decided to give them a try. Let me tell you, they are AMAZING! Light, crispy and very flavorful! I've served them as a side dish with dinner, but I can see myself snacking on these at any time of the day.

Even if you don't like kale, I urge you to try making it into chips. Baking the kale really alters the texture and gets rid of that bitter aftertaste that some people don't like.

Now I wonder if this would work with any other greens! I feel some experiments coming on!

Kale Chips - Adapted from many recipes that I've seen.

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch kale
• 1 - 1 1/2 Tbs. good quality olive oil
• Sea salt or kosher salt to taste
• Any seasonings you like such as smoked paprika, garlic powder, etc. (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Rinse and thoroughly dry the kale and remove the stem. Cut or tear the leaves into large chunks and place in a large bowl.
3. Add olive oil, seasonings and salt; toss to coat.
4. Place kale on baking sheet in a single layer.
5. Bake until crisp (approximately 15 minutes).
6. Cool and enjoy!

A word to the wise: a little salt goes a long way. My first time making these I inadvertently over-salted and the entire batch tasted like a salt lick.