The Kale Kraze

Kale is a vegetable I always ignore at the supermarket, and for good reason. It looks like it belongs in a flower pot at the entrance of an office building, not as a side dish on my plate. But much like the Kardashian sisters (bewildering and sort of scary at first), everyone is now completely, head-over-heels obsessed with kale. (I'm 100% the only person in the world that has compared kale to the Kardashians, but just go with it...)

here's a pic of my kale. yum.

After seeing recipes for baked kale chips on my fave food blogs (Smitten Kitchen, Made by Michelle and Stiletto Chef), I decided to give it a try.

I bought a large bunch of kale, washed and dried it, cut the leaves off the stalks (throw the stalks out), and then sliced the leaves into smaller pieces. Then I put them in a bowl, drizzled a little olive oil, sprinkled some sea salt and pepper, tossed it around to evenly coat, and placed on a baking sheet. I let those little leaves bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees, as I willed them with all of my might to taste like Kettle Chips. (All the blogs have different cooking times and temps, so I picked one in the middle.) Just keep your eye on it to make sure it's not burning.

The result: these ladies know what IS UP. Baked kale is great! It's remarkably lighter and crunchier than it's raw form. And it does in fact make a tasty little chip. I also sprinkled some red pepper flakes on top, because my husband can't eat anything without his mouth being on fire.

You can make this as a super healthy snack, or as a side with dinner. Bon appetit!