Kale Chips

If you love potato chips and are looking for a great way to stop eating half the bag in one sitting (let's be real here - who can just have a handful or two?), well then I am here to tell you about my new love. Kale chips! When you are at the grocery store, I'm sure you've seen kale and I'm sure you've run far far away from it. I'm one of those people that love dark greens, but I must admit, I don't eat enough of them.

Kale chips are now on my favorite veggies and snack list. It's super simple and they taste fantastic. If you've had kale steamed or in another dish, you know that it is bitter and the flavor is kind of, uhm, not the best. Don't let that scare you here though. All you need to do is grab a bunch of kale, which is super cheap (I found mine for under $1!), some olive oil and seasonings to taste. I used just simple salt and pepper, but you could add cayenne for a kick or even garlic powder. Once you get the basics down on making these, you can try all kinds of flavors.

My town recently became home to a new Whole Foods store and boy oh boy am I in love. It's definitely not a store for my every day shopping, but they have awesome items, especially those lactose free items for me. I found my new favorite lactose free yogurt the other day. Even sour cream! I will be posting about this soon in my next product review, so stay tuned for that. Lots of items and lots of things I think you will love as much as I do. Now why did I start talking about Whole Foods? Oh ya! On the shelf behind the yougurts I saw kale chips. In all kinds of flavors - everything from plain to ranch to BBQ. I was about to try the BBQ ones when I saw the price. Almost $4! I just did not have the heart to pay that much when I knew I could make them at home.

Like I said, this a low cost and low calorie snack that I am sure you will love. If you love potato chips, try these. If you don't like them, well, at least it didn't cost you that much to make them (but I know you will like them).

three ingredients - kale, olive oil and seasonings

de-ribbed kale

tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper

look how much they shrunk!

crispy and delicious!

Kale Chips (from smittenkitchen.com)

1 bunch Kale

1 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale (pat dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner), then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet (I used two since I had so many leaves!) Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.

I wish I had some of these right now. Talk about guilt free snacking!