Something crazy happened to me tonight.
Something I never could have imagined…
I chose a vegetable chip over a potato chip. WHAT?! No… Oh no… It can’t be…
YES. IT’S TRUE!
Trust me, I couldn’t quite believe it myself…
You see, I had heard about this whole “kale chip” thing (I have ears and live on Earth) and–while I do enjoy kale–I figured it was just one of those overhyped health crazes.
But, trust me, these things are incredible. This is coming from the girl who could literally eat potatoes exclusively for the rest of her life.
Sidebar: OK can we just talk about potatoes for a minute, please?! HELL. YES. They are goddamn incredible. Baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, potato skins, potato salad, roasted potatoes, FRENCH FRIES, and of course, potato chips. Wow, that was awesome. Now back to it!
But it’s you guys. The fans. My devoted readers (Hi Mom!). Who make me want to be a healthier person. So, I decided to give these kale chips a try. And ya know what?
I’m SO happy I did!
What makes these things awesome, is that they’re so quick and easy that when you’re craving something salty and crunchy, it’s actually a possibility to choose this over a bagged potato chip!
I mean don’t get me wrong. I would always prefer a potato chip. Have I mentioned how much I like potatoes? Anyway. These things are pretty damn good for, well, a piece of lettuce.
Here are my two main findings from my work with the kale chips: 1) buying the pre-chopped kale was HUGE–such a timesaver; and 2) you have a window of about 2 minutes to get them perfect. More on this to come…
Another awesome thing about these (I know right, there’s more?!) is that you can choose your favorite seasonings to go on them. It’s like a DIY potato chip!!
Mmmm potatoes….anyway.
You can just keep it simple with just some salt. Maybe some pepper. Maybe a lemon pepper? Oooh, maybe something spicy? OMG WHAT ABOUT CHEESE?! All these–and more!–are all possible in Kale Chip World.
I know, I know wtf does that even mean? I’m tired and slightly drunk…it’s the best it’s gonna get for now.
For my first trip to KCW, I used salt & pepper, garlic powder (I put garlic in every. single. thing I make), and cayenne (some like it hot, I like it hotter).
So simple, yet so so delicious.
But…wait…how ever will we get these delicious seasonings to stick to the dried kale?!
Why, I’m glad you asked, anonymous reader. There are two (tasty) methods of getting your spice to stick (that I can think of):
You can either toss or drizzle your kale with olive oil OR you can do what I did… spread ’em on a baking sheet and spray those bad boys down with some cooking spray.
It worked like a freakin’ charm.
Vic Trick: Make sure your kale is not overlapped on the baking sheet or they won’t crisp up!
I used a 375° oven, which honestly, may have even been too hot. I’d recommend 350°. (I’m sorry! It’s my first time!)
They were ready in about 5-7 minutes. But, let me tell ya…those things burn damn quick.
I only slightly burned my first batch. Although to me, they were perfect (Love Actually reference). But, I’ll admit some pieces were a liiiittle charred.
On the second batch I straight up panicked. I checked on them like 4 times and still took them out a smidge too early. And by that point I had like 48 kale chips made already and I’m not quite into them enough to make more.
Both those batches were damnnnn good though…
Mmmm that spicy garlicky salty deliciousness.
The kale gets pretty crunchy quickly, but just keep an eye on it. When the smaller pieces start to get browned, they’re done.
I’m pretty pumped to continue my journey through Kale Chip World. I’ll be posting some recipes as I come up with them, but the basics will most likely remain the same.
Or will they….
Stay tuned!
Happy Eating!
