These smoky, cheesy and crispy kale chips are everything you desire in a savoury snack. I was so excited when these kale chips turned out because I knew that they would turn any kale haters into kale lovers (or at least, I really really hoped so!)
Kale has so many benefits, that it’s hard to understand why anyone wouldn’t want to eat them. I imagine that has to do with not knowing how to prepare them in a way that makes them appetizing. Let’s be honest, if you have it raw without any preparation, they can be chewy and maybe even stringy like celery. Am I selling it yet? 😉
The thing is, if you really want to enjoy kale in all its beauty, you have to massage it to soften the leaves–seriously! But doesn’t everything soften up a bit when you give it a massage? Exactly. So, massaging your kale with some oil (of course), will give it a nicer texture and a more enjoyable chewing experience. You can massage it before adding in other salad ingredients. Another option is to sauté it with garlic, onions, salt and pepper. That’s how I usually eat it. But, by far the best way is to make kale chips out of your kale, which you’ll find out how to do below.
There are many different kinds of kale, such as red kale, green kale, dinosaur (AKA lacinato or black) kale, to name a few.
Before we get to the super easy and tasty recipe, I wanna shed some light on why kale is so fantastic and why I won’t shut up about it.
Kale is a fantastic source of fibre. Per 1 cup of kale, you get 2.6g of fibre, which may not seem like much, but it’s easy to eat a lot of kale when it’s prepared well. Eating one cup is too easy to do! Fibre content is important because it promote healthy digestion and binds to bile to pull toxins out of the body.
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Kale is one of the best sources of vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that is key for bone health and coagulation (blood clotting). In combination with vitamin D, vitamin K is particularly important for preventing diseases like osteoporosis and osteopenia. Also, in terms of blood coagulation, consider the fact that if you get a minor cut on your hand, you want your body to be able to scab over and prevent the bleeding itself, so this is an important function that vitamin K contributes to.
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Kale is also known for its glucosinolates, which are phytonutrients that convert into cancer-preventative compounds, such as the better known I3C (Indole-3-carbinol). According to the George Mateljan Foundation, “at the top of the cancer-related research for kale are colon cancer and breast cancer, but risk of bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer have all been found to decrease in relationship to routine intake of kale.”
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Anti-inflammatories? Yes, please! the George Mateljan Foundation notes that “it only takes 100 calories of kale to provide over 350 milligrams for the most basic omega-3 fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA)”. Omega 3’s are another important nutrient to have in your diet for not only inflammation, but also brain health and immunity.
Ok, let’s get to munching on these tasty, health-promoting leafy greens!
Smoky Cheesy Kale Chips
Prep: 5 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes Total: 17 minutes to kale chip heaven
1 large bunch green kale 2 tbsp olive oil
Coating:
½ tsp Himalayan salt
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp chipotle powder
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Preheat oven to 350F
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Remove kale leaves from the stems. Rip into bite-sized pieces
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Wash and dry really well with paper towel.*
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In a large bowl, dump olive oil on kale pieces and massage well. We want to make sure every cm is covered!
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Add 2-3 tbsps of coating mix to the bowl and massage coating into leaves to ensure they’re covered with the coating.
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Spread the kale pieces evenly on a cookie sheet (see image above) and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. The kale chips are done when they are crispy and slightly browned.
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Store in an airtight bag or container and enjoy for a week.
*Note: if the leaves are left wet, they will steam instead of crisp up in the oven!
Let me know if you make them and be sure to tag me @megan_rhn !
Sources:
The George Mateljan Foundation. “Kale.”The World’s Healthiest Foods. Retrieved from: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38
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