Kale Chips

Sometimes my kids will not even consider putting a food in their mouth based solely on how it looks. So when they dug right into kale chips I was pretty floored. They love them. They chant for them. They declare them better than potato chips. The moment I put them on their plates they are devoured.


I pick up bags of kale at the farmer's market on Saturday's. Matt at Birdsong Farm has an inspiring little stand stocked with spinach, kale, salad mix, and dried beans. He has red russian kale and white russian kale, which is apparently better for cooking kale chips because of the thicker stems, according to Matt. Who knew? Well we do.... at least now. But, I stick with the red russian kale because I don't want to mess up the good thing we have going on here.

Here is what I used:
A bunch of red russian kale
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (you could get away with using less)
salt, a hefty pinch
a freezer bag
a baking sheet
some canola oil spray
fresh grated parmesan cheese

Here is what I did:
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees
I rinsed my kale really well. Kale is like spinach, it grows close to the ground, so an extra little wash isn't going to kill the taste.
Toss the kale in a freezer bag with apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and some salt. Smash it around until all the leaves are coated.
Spray the baking sheet with a non-stick spray.
Lay the kale out on the baking sheet so nothing is overlapping... at least not too much anyway.

Bake for 15 minutes. Give it a little stir. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, depending on your crispy preference. We like super crunchy kale so I bake it for the full 30 minutes, sometimes even 35.
Sprinkle with a bit more salt and some fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Serve hot. 
Kale is also delicious in soups and salads, and since technically we are in cool weather season (at least for today in Northeast Ohio)  kale is in season right now. So buy it, cook it, preserve it and eat it up!

Enjoy!