I make it a game each week to come up with a whole host of delicious ways to use up my fresh fall greens–and yes, kale chips are at the top of that list.
When it comes to making it easy to use up greens, for me, it’s all about making them too convenient to pass up when I start to refrigerator dive for my breakfast, lunch, or dinner ideas. Try this no waste tip when you come home with your next bundle of kale, collards, or other hearty greens:
- Give them a good wash: tear off their leaves from the woody stalks and dunk them into a big bowl of water, so that any dirt or organic bugs that have hitched a ride home with them drop to the bottom of the bowl.
- Scoop them up, dry them in a salad spinner or on a towel, and place them in a sealed container, so they are now ready to be used.
- Save the stalks for your next soup or saute–they’re crunchy and loaded with nutrients but need a little extra cooking time.
The next time you get a craving for a salty and crunchy snack, don’t forget that kale chips are only 10 minutes away, since you’ve already done the hard work of getting them ready to be cooked. Whether you have the curly variety or the flat one known as dinosaur kale, this green makes a delicious and fun chip that’s so good for you.
And if you’ve been making kale chips for years and are looking for a little inspiration for other ways to relish kale, join us as we gear up for National Kale Day on October 7th, 2015. We’ll be joining the National Kale team as they share tips, recipes, and fun ideas for how to get the whole family loving kale and all greens. At JoyFoodly, we’ll also be launching the next phase of our Joyful 12 School Project, in partnership with the national program Wellness in the Schools, making their amazingly delicious and simple Ginger Kale Salad with all 350 children of Lu Sutton Elementary in Novato, California through Food Literacy Cooking Labs. Stay tuned and join us in this kale celebration!
- kale, 1 bunch
- olive oil, 2 - 4 TBS
- salt, 1/2 tsp
- Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- For flat kale, cut off the tougher bottom part of the stem and leave the upper stem and leaves in tact. This will make a nice big chip. Otherwise, you can pull the leaves off in big chunks on either side of the stem. Be sure to use bigger pieces, as the kale will shrink in the oven.
- **If you have curly kale, the stem is tougher, so we recommend you remove it with a knife and then tear the curly leaves apart into bigger pieces.
- Wash well in water. Use a salad spinner to dry and then lay them out on paper towels or a clean cloth to get them completely dry. *For curly kale you need to get between the creases!
- Rub kale pieces with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. This will keep them from burning in the oven and allow them to crisp up.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Do not overlap; ensure they all have space in one layer on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 5 minutes and check. You may want to move the cookie sheets around so edges on one part of the tray do not get too hot due to your oven. Cook for about 3 minutes longer or until they just start to turn brown on the edges but not burning! This can happen fast, so remove them and know they’ll keep cooking a little on the hot pan out of the oven. *Note, curly kale can take a little longer to cook so keep an eye on it.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and enjoy within the hour. Yum!
Chef Hollie Greene
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