Kale Chips

I freaking LOVE kale chips. I mean, love, love, love them.

They're weirdly addicting and unlike anything else I've ever tasted.

Yet, as much as I love the chips, preparing the kale has been time consuming which prevents me from making them as often as I'd like. Having to rinse, then cut, then let the kale sit out to become bone dry takes time. Because of that, it wasn't easily something you could decide to make on the fly.

Today at the grocery, I found a bag of shredded kale for $2.50! It's a huge bag too. This. Changes. Everything.

1 lb bag of kale

Kale, in all of it's simplicity, has amazing benefits:

Top 10 Health Benefits of Eating Kale

By Alison Lewis

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Here are ten great benefits of adding more kale to your diet:

1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A.Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

(Courtesy of MindBodyGreen)

Here is the kale chip recipe I use (from Gluten Free Girl):

Baked Kale Chips

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic 
3 large handfuls lacinato kale, torn into shreds
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparing to bake. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine the salt, smoked paprika, and garlic in a small bowl.

Wash the kale. Rinse the kale leaves, then put them in a salad spinner and spin until the green becomes a blur. Round and round, spinning and spinning — let the kale dry. After it comes out, dry it even more with paper towels. Those leaves should be bone dry.

Oiling the kale. Put the kale leaves in a large bowl. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Massage the oil into the leaves. You might need more. You might have larger hands than I do. Use your judgment.

Bake the chips. Arrange the kale chips onto the sheet try and slide it into the oven. Bake until the leaves are crisp to the touch but still a dark green. (When they turn brown, they turn bitter.) Check at the 12-minute mark, to be sure.

Remove them from the oven. Sprinkle with the garlic smoked paprika salt.

Let them cool a bit. Eat.

Freshly made kale chips going into the oven

Now, I have a Misto (which if you don't have one, you're missing out- they're fabulous), so instead of putting the kale in a large bowl and dumping oil into the bowl, I just sprayed the olive oil directly onto the kale as it sat on the foil lined cooking sheet. I did massage it a little, but the Misto makes it SO EASY to oil things. Seriously, you need one.

And, because of the awesome bag of kale, we can enjoy these much more frequently so when I made the seasoning this time, I made a bulk batch. 

Kale chip seasoning

So now I've got everything needed to make these wonderfully addicting (and healthy) chips quickly. 

To ensure you're getting maximum nutritional benefit from these chips, be sure to use unrefined sea salt. Unrefined salt is mineral rich, unlike the refined salt that has been stripped of magnesium, potassium and other important nutrients. Using this mineral rich salt kicks up the health factor significantly! 

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!