Kale chips

This is likely the simplest recipe I’ll ever post on my blog – so take note! This one works well as a snack or as a delightfully crunchy garnish. Whenever I get home after a long day toiling in the lab, I am usually exhausted, mentally drained, and quite hungry (I’ve coined the term ‘hangry’ to describe the combined feelings of both hunger and anger / frustration). In those moments I will typically will reach for a snack like potato or tortilla chips. As an attempt to get even more vegetal goodness into my already super-veg life, I’ve been experimenting with making a healthier alternative: kale chips! These things are easy to make, super addictive, and essentially guilt-free. Light, crispy, salty, and green! Who couldn’t benefit from an extra dose of vitamin-laden leafy greens?

Ingredients

• Kale
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• garlic and/or onion powder (optional)

Instructions

Wash kale and gently shake dry. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Tear or cut kale leaves from the stems, and tear into bite-size pieces. Spread out evenly onto a foil-lined baking sheet (you don’t want pieces stacked on top of each other, otherwise some will stay soft while others turn crispy). Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Toss gently with your hands to ensure that every leaf is coated with a bit of olive oil and seasoning. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool, then eat! I haven’t figured out a great way to store them yet, all I know is that you shouldn’t put them into a ziploc bag, or they’ll turn soggy (I learned that one the hard way). I’d imagine the best way to keep them is to let them cool completely and then store them in a tupperware container.