I just got an email from my friend asking if I’m a vegan these days. She is finalizing her wedding menu and adding in dietary restrictions, like a good hostess does. I had to laugh because I am definitely not a vegan, but I realize how I’ve managed to confuse people! This past year, while in nutrition school, I’ve been experimenting with a bunch of different ways of eating. It’s fun in a way…like a science experiment on yourself. I’ve tried quitting dairy and gluten, been vegan before dinner, cut out sugar, gone paleo, etc. I think I’ve figured out what works best for me at this point, which is a relief. I keep dairy and gluten to a minimum and eat meat just a few days a week. But don’t quote me on that because it could change at any moment! It’s a work in progress.
Between all these experiments, I’ve become somewhat of a healthy living nerd. I get really excited when I find products in Switzerland that I’ve only seen on the US health blogs. I even bought a ridiculous shirt off of Etsy that says “Lettuce Turnip the Beet,” granted it didn’t spark as many conversations as I secretly hoped it would. I also can’t help but love the KALE university shirt. I might have to add it to my collection.
Next thing you know, I’ll be taking pictures of myself in my KALE shirt, eating a bowl full of these kale chips.
Just kidding. I hate taking pictures of myself, so I will just wear my kale shirt and eat my kale chips in private and have a good chuckle.
I want to make a declaration, and you can quote me on this one. I think that everyone, even if they are not a budding healthy living nerd and even if they are a veggie hater, can also enjoy these chips. They are in my opinion one of the easiest ways to get some veggies into your day. No, they don’t taste like potato chips- I won’t trick you into thinking so and being disappointed. But they provide the salty crunch that you enjoy from potato chips, with an added bonus of eating your leafy greens!
Just try ‘em and you will see!
Destem your kale and massage it real good.
Add the spices and pop it in the oven.
Eight minutes later you have a salty, crispy, AND healthy snack.
- ½ bunch of kale, destemmed and ripped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350F // 175C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the kale in a bowl with the olive oil. Massage the kale with the olive oil until the kale feels a bit softer. Mix in the nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. Spread evenly on your baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. If they aren’t crisp, put them back in for 1-2 minutes.
- Taste them and add salt and pepper as needed.
- *If you don't have nutritional yeast on hand, just omit it and they will still taste delicious!
- **If you double the recipe, be sure to use two baking sheets so you don't overcrowd the kale, not allowing it to crisp.
8 Responses
Haha, you sound like me every January! I feel like a pig after the holidays, and want to totally kickstart health. So I start hopping from 1 diet to another. Ha! These kale chips sound delicious! We grew a TON of kale in our garden this summer, and it did amazingly well. I couldn’t eat it fast enough. I was making lotssss of kale chips. the best!
I can’t wait to have a garden like yours one day!
Just made the Chicken Tika Masala recipe for the second time last night and got rave reviews including Meridith(a chef that works with Joe). I think these could be a nice addition to that meal as an appetizer.
yay! that’s awesome to hear! ya, I love the tikka masala too, especially since the indian restaurants usually fill it with heavy cream and give me a stomach ache. the kale chips would be good to start to get some extra veggies in! they might even be good with some garam masala
These kale chips look awesome, love them!
Just made these today and they were really tasty! I just used salt and pepper and oil as didn’t have the other ingredients and they still came out great. Thanks for motivating me to make a healthier snack. 🙂
Good day, this may sound like a stupid question, but what is nutritional yeast…? Here in SA, we have active and instant yeast… Can you omit this ingredient…?
It is not necessary at all, but it has a nice cheesy taste without the cheese. Here is a link to what I use right here: http://amzn.to/2qTc2Rb