Last week, I was on the phone with my friend Little Miss Trouble Maker to check in and to see how she was feeling. We were suppose to run/walk the 2012 Tacoma City Marathon together back in early May, but she totally messed up her hip about 4 weeks prior to the race on a down hill run and had not been able to work out since. And although I felt bad for her, I was relieved I didn’t have to go through with the race. Because I am a slacker, and had not even begun my marathon training yet.
So when my other friend {the Mad Scientist} told me about the 2012 Seattle Half Marathon that’s just around the corner, I thought I’d give Little Miss Trouble Maker a ring and see if she was up for it. But she said no. She was still injured.
Yada Yada Yada…
We started talking about kale.
She had just joined a CSA, and there was kale in her basket and she was thinking about making kale chips. So I was like, “Kale chips? Seriously? Who eats kale chips? Do you have a recipe? Because I have a bunch of extra kale I need to get rid of.”
So maybe my motivation wasn’t really to get rid of the kale. Maybe I was just hoping that if I made some kale chips, Monkey Boy and the Handsome Husband would fall in love with them and then I would never have to buy Doritos or potato chips again.
So after I hung up the phone, I searched online for a recipe for kale chips. I found one. And even though the reviews were almost all positive, there was one that caught my eye.
“Everything turned out fine … light, crispy and AWFUL. Must be an acquired taste, but in my humble opinion you could make some Crispy Shredded Newspaper Chips that would likely taste a lot better than these.”
Ha Ha Ha… I almost peeped my pants I thought it was so funny. Why? Because it pretty much summed up the reason I was afraid to try and make a batch of kale chips. I thought they would taste awful too.
But I made some anyway.
Recipe – Baked Kale Chips
Ingredients
8 large kale leaves, washed and thoroughly dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 2-inch pieces.
Toss the cut kale in a bowl with olive oil and lay the kale on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.
Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.
Notes
If you have a bunch of kale growing in your garden and you don’t know what to do with it… Or if you just really like kale, check out the book 101 Best Kale Greens Cookbook: Awesome Recipes for Kale Breakfast, Soup, Salad, Chips, Supper and even Smoothies!
So… Have YOU tried kale chips before? What did you think about them?
~Mavis
Linda says
I love kale chips. I think they might be an acquired taste but I loved them the first time I tried them. I have a friend that dips them in ketchup. Ketchup makes everything better if you don’t like them.
Sarah says
So were they any good, or were they more like newspaper chips?
Mavis says
Maybe I just know a good thing when I taste it? Newspaper chips.
Mavis says
Newspaper
myna lee johnstone says
these kale chips have become a hotcake item in the past year
where i live they are sold by several vendors at the farmers market and now i see them in grocery stores
there are many variations to spices added
making them very tastey and guilt free
there are youtube videos too
Patti says
I like them. Hubby LOVES them! And this is a guy that is a dyed-in-the-wool Lay’s greasy potato chip fan! Go figure.
The caption under the pic is hilarious. So Mavis, did YOU like them?
I will say, cook them until very crisp, otherwise they are just a chewy, limp, yuk.
Mavis says
They were crisp. A lot of people like them though so maybe I need to add a different type of seasoning?
Mandy says
We use seasoning salt and they taste great.
Krista says
YUCK was the verdict at our house. We wanted to love them, but sadly they smelled horrible when cooking, like dirty diapers, and they tasted gross, too. We’ve made them a couple times with different recipes just to see if maybe we were doing something wrong, but nope…I guess we’re just not a kale chip family. Most of the rest of Internet land is obsessed with them, though, so my family is clearly in the minority.
What did you guys think of them?
Mavis says
I think the cardboard chip comment was spot on. 😉
Saralie says
I tried them a few months ago, they were awful… so bitter…just thinking about it makes my mouth do all kinds of weird things….but I am willing to try again if your recipe actually tasted good. What was the verdict in your household?
Mavis says
I don’t think I should write what he said… lol. He did not like them.
Lara Sophia says
I used nutritional yeast instead of salt 🙂
Lara Sophia says
…also used BABY KALE, delicious!
Ashley says
I JUST made these for the first time last night along with your recipe for Kale Enchilada Casserole (which was YUM btw)! The kale I used was had curly edges and we thought the chips were pretty good. I used LOTS of salt. I wouldn’t make them on a regular basis, but it was something different. My 2 year old is crazy picky and she loved them…..it was strange to see her eating them.
Michelle says
Mavis, try these: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/05/04/sundried-tomato-cheezy-kale-chips/ Even my 5 yr old will eat them!! Yes, the recipe has some unusual ingredients because it’s vegan but if you are feeling adventurous and willing, fire up the dehydrator and give these a whirl! Yummy!
Lara Sophia says
oh thank you for sharing, mmm
Mavis says
Okay, maybe the cheese would help. LOL 😉
Michelle says
Yes, I used baby kale. You can get a huge bag from Costco for like $4-$5 right now. Hope this helps!!
sharon says
I did a variation of the oh she glows. They were yummy! it is all about the seasoning!!
Tabitha says
Love them when i dont mess them up or dehydrate them. Favorite kale chips used 2 tsp each soy sauce and apple cider vinegar. I think it was 2tbsp oil, but don’t have the baking instructions handy. If you over cook them bc they don’t look crispy (ahem…just for example) they will be BIT-TER. Yuck. Try the minimum cook time and let them crisp as they cool. Huge taste difference.
Dawn says
Hmmm…. Your reaction just about made me peep my pants Mavis… You crack me up! As we have only recently discovered Kale, well I have anyhow. My family doesn’t know they are eating it yet. Is that the same as lying?
It is for their own good I say. I have a habit of sneaking in veggies where I can. Even Quinoa into my daughters food (she a vegetarian who eats horribly), I know it’s not a veggie but it’s good for her.
I will have to give these a try, perhaps the above recipe that Michelle posted and I will look for baby kale. As with so many veggies the younger they are the sweeter. How is that so true in so many things…. Hmmmm…. Babies (sweet) – teenagers (bitter). Thanks for another glimpse into your crazy and funny mind Mavis. It’s a glad thing to know I’m not alone!
Carla says
We all love these. In addition to salt and olive oil, I put nutritional yeast and a pinch of chipotle powder. I’ve even used this same method with other greens like collards, mustard greens and chard. Even my teenage boys will eat these, but only if none of their friends are around!
Mavis says
Only if there friends are not around… Ha Ha Ha
Heather says
Cook them on the grill instead of in the oven…they taste MUCH better.
Patti says
Gonna try the grill, gonna try baby kale, gonna try the cheese thing and letting them crisp outside the oven, chipotle seasoning, etc. BECAUSE, kale is good for us and the more ways I can figure to eat it (in a healthy & tasty manner!), the better.
Heather says
At my house we grow kale year round. This year I dehydrated the kale , cumbled it up and put it in my parsley container. It is lovingly called the secret ingredient. Kids devour it all the time. SPrinkle in spaghetti suace, scrambled eggs… whatever. And it adds some greats nutrition!
Kale chips were a hit… dehydrated… may be different roasted. Salt… we used sea salt.
One batch I added PAmpered Chef Applewood smoke seasoning. My 2 and 7 year old devoured it
Ingrid says
AHA! We make Kale chips all year round (from our garden too). My kids DEVOUR them – I rinse them and tear them into smaller pieces and spin them in the lettuce spinner until completely dry (very important!). I spread them out on a baking sheet and, using a pump olive oil sprayer, spray a light coat over them all, then sprinkle with seasoning salt (no msg). My Dad uses Cayenne pepper, also delish but not for the 2 and 4 year olds!
Bake at 350 for 5 min, flip/stir around, 4 more min, then check which ones are crispy and which ones are a little limp still, removing crispy ones to a plate and returning limp ones to the oven for a minute or two more. There is a very fine line between crisp and burnt with these bad boys so be careful to not, say, look at jam recipes on this site *ahem*
Also, we use curly kale…don’t know if that makes a difference…no newspaper chips here!