Kale Chips

Prior to making kale chips, I had cooked kale once, and my husband who happily eats anything I make asked me to never make it again.  It was chewy and bitter and plain awful.  And I avoided kale for a long time after, but now I am truly converted. I can eat a bunch of kale in one sitting…easily…as long as it is in kale chip form. They are a fantastic snack and the best part is that even the kids like them!

You can put any flavours you like on these chips. I experimented with salt, crushed cashews, cayenne pepper, lime zest, lime juice and cinnamon, but the possibilities are endless. The simplest version is olive oil and salt with a few drops of lemon juice if you like. This is my kids preference but I love the contrasting texture of the cashews and the heat of the cayenne pepper. 

A few tips – make sure you wash and dry your kale well. You only want the leaves, so hold the stalk at the base of the leaf and run your fingers up the stem to pull off the leaves. Don’t worry if they tear. Don’t crowd the leaves on your baking trays. They can touch but not overlap, otherwise they will wilt instead of crispen, so you may need multiple trays. I used four trays for one bunch of kale. Line your trays with baking paper and the easiest way to ensure even light coating is to use an olive oil spray.

1 bunch kale, washed and dried, leaves only

olive oil spray

1/3 cup raw cashews, crushed (you can do this in a blender or put them in a snap lock bag and bash them with a rolling pin)

sea salt flakes

cayenne pepper

lime zest and juice

Preheat oven to 165 degrees. Lay leaves flat on baking paper lined baking trays. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle over cashews, salt, cayenne pepper and zest. Gently squeeze a few drops of lime juice over the leave (you don’t want too much moisture). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crispy. You can eat them straight out of the oven or at room temperature.