I’ve started introducing new and exciting veggies into our menu since we’ve started to transition into a more heart-healthy diet. Okay, maybe vegetables aren’t exciting, but trying new food is pretty exciting. Last week we discovered we like brussel sprouts. I roasted them in the oven with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Super simple and very delicious.
This week I decided to play with kale. I’ve never had kale but it looks so good and green at the store. I knew my kids wouldn’t eat it in the raw, but my friend had mentioned I could make them into “chips.” So below is my process for “Kale Chips” (I attempted this with no proper guidance from a recipe). I discuss the results of this experiment at the end of this post.
Start by washing some fresh and pretty kale.
Coarsely chop or tear the kale into pieces.
Mix the kale with sea salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Put the coated kale on a pan.
Put in the oven at 400 degrees until edges are crispy (10-15 min).
Crispy kale chips!
I didn’t look up any recipe for kale chips because I thought, how hard could this be?. The chips were crispy alright, but I think maybe I burned them a little (400 degrees was probably 25 degrees too hot). I mean they were still green–for the most part–I don’t know. We didn’t like them. I can’t figure out if the reason is because they were burned to a certain degree OR if we don’t like the flavor of kale. We’ve never had kale, so I don’t totally know what it’s supposed to taste like. There was definitely a distinct “green” flavor.
Because my experiment with kale is inconclusive, I can’t rule it as a possible addition or non-addition to our menu. With that said, if you know any kid-friendly kale recipes, I’d love to hear them.
Sean’s reaction to the kale chips: “These are disgusting. You should have made cookies.” I can’t say I disagree with the kid!
Ana said,
January 23, 2012 @ 11:56 pm
OMG – I laughed out loud at Sean’s comment! So awesome.
Here’s a couple recipes that I based my decision on:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/salt-and-vinegar-kale-chips/
http://www.elanaspantry.com/lemon-kale-chips/
Veronica said,
January 29, 2012 @ 5:52 pm
Haha, Sean is a crack up! I have a little bit of experience with kale and I’m here to tell you that it is nasty in and of itself, but since it is so incredibly healthy, it’s fun to find ways to fix it that make it edible. I think we’d be hard pressed to find anyone who eats it fresh, raw, and by itself or in a simple salad. I’ve made kale chips before and I liked them. My sister-in-law told me how to do it. The kids thought they were okay, but they certainly didn’t fall head over heels for them (I think they each ate one or two). My husband refused to even try them, so I was stuck eating pretty much the whole batch. I’ll tell you how I did it in an email or something, so this comment isn’t a mile long. Having said that, I also really want to tell you about this smoothie I have been making with it lately. The kids are actually drinking it. It’s bright green, so we have been calling it a Shrek smoothie. It literally is the exact same color as Shrek. I’ll tell you how to make that later, too. It’s super simple and tasty!