Kale Chips

I first made these Kale Chips for my kids on St. Patrick's Day.  I called them "Leprechaun Chips" and was hoping that my snazzy name would entice them to eat something green. Guess what?  It worked!!  My kids actually ask me to make these crunchy snacks for them all the time.  I am most happy to oblige.  They are quick, easy, and oh-so-yummy when you are craving a salty snack.  So next time you want to dive into a bag of chips, whip up a batch of these babies and snack guilt-free!  Here's how you make them:

Ingredients:
1 bunch organic kale
1 tsp sea salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder (You can use more or less. I LOVE garlic, so I am kind of heavy handed here!)
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Wash the kale and dry the leaves VERY well.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!! I usually lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet between layers of paper towel.  If you do not dry the leaves, your chips will not get crunchy.  Nobody likes a soggy chip!!  After the leaves are dried off, pull the big, center stalk out, like so:

 

 

Then, tear the leaves into smaller "chip size" pieces.  Put them in a bowl, and drizzle olive oil over them, tossing the leaves to coat evenly with the oil.

 



Then, put the kale on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle salt and garlic powder evenly over the kale, and toss to evenly distribute the seasonings.  Spread the kale out on the sheet pan so you have a single layer.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the kale is crunchy and slightly brown.  Make sure you check it frequently after 10 minutes because it goes from not done to burned pretty quickly. 


Now, enjoy!!  See, I wasn't lying when I said my kids LOVE these.  My daughter has a deep seated aversion to anything green, and she can't eat enough of these.