This is so fast and so easy – and they really do taste a lot like chips!
It is the coolest feeling to get a whole bunch of kale down the family in just one sitting – and that is exactly what happens when I make these!
My girls and I can sit down and bang out a whole bowl for a snack together or we serve them on the side of dinner – while I was writing this I asked my husband what he thought of kale chips and he said he loves them. I never know with him because he is so good about just eating what is on his plate without question so he can be a good example to the girls.
My now 2 year old took quite a few attempts at them to get the new crispy texture. I just kept putting them on her plate every time I would serve them, and one day she just started eating them. One thing I know is – keep introducing new foods to toddlers, even if you get a turned up nose at first…they eventually catch on 😉 Now I can’t keep them on her plate fast enough – she loves them and asks for more.
- 1 bunch of organic kale (either lacinato or red – doesn’t make a difference), torn into pieces – be sure they DRY
- 2ish TB friendly fat to bake in (lard, butter, coconut oil)
- Sea salt/pepper to taste (don’t over salt – they shrink up and you can always add more once cooked)
- Pile up your kale on a baking sheet and pour the friendly fat, salt, and pepper over top – toss to coat.
- Spread out the kale on the baking sheet and bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. Keep an eye on them around that 10 minute mark and shake them around or toss them around – if they sound crispy they are ready – if not give them another minute or so.
Kitchen Tips:
- DRY kale will work best – if there is a lot of moisture on the leaves they will become chewy and limp instead of crisp. When I buy the bunch I leave them out to dry in the crisper in the fridge or out on the counter all day to dry out. Other techniques that work that I have tried when in a bit more of a hurry is using paper towels to gently “blot” them, or using a salad spinner
.
- Add a few shakes of cayenne or chipolte powder to heat it up a bit if you wish! Or play around with different seasonings to your families tastes!
- I don’t care for these “leftover” so I don’t batch them up. One bunch of kale feeds our family very comfortably so if you have a larger family do up a couple trays 😉 If you want some to go with your dinner leftovers the next night, just do up another batch – it really goes so fast! I don’t know how these pack up for lunches – we do them for snacks in the afternoon sometimes. I haven’t cared for them leftover out of the fridge so I’m thinking they probably wouldn’t be that great packed up.
- Greens like kale NEED good, friendly saturated fats to help the vitamins absorb in the body (“fat soluble vitamins”!). Read THIS and THIS about why you shouldn’t be afraid of great friendly fats like butter, coconut oil
, and pastured animal fats.
- My favorite fat to cook these in is lard or butter – or a combo of the two. And pastured lard and butter are FULL of nourishing vitamins and benefits! Read THIS and THIS for more info!
YOUR TURN!
Let me know how the kiddos like them 😉
This post was shared at Real Food Forager’s Fat Tuesday!