Healthy Kale Chips

The Journey

My son has always been a spinach lover and we fondly remember the pre school teacher's stories of how he ate all the spinach at the table. So we were very happy he naturally liked spinach.  With his natural affinity to spinach, I assumed getting kale into his diet profile would be a breeze. Now, I would be amiss if I did not mention how resistant he is to variations of something he loves. He is the type of person who will say to you "Leave well alone..don't improvise or change anything." So kale did not make the cut for the new and improved spinach at the table. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse and I had to find a way to get him to enjoy this. I also found out that the best way to get my son to try anything new is to grow it and make him harvest it - somehow being part of the process lowers the resistance. So we started growing Kale each year and I am constantly struck by how hardy this vegetable is (grows in spite of me.. ;) )and the ROI is simply stunning. $3 of kale sapling at spring gives me well over $50 worth of kale in the growing season between spring until frost. It is such a giving plant! If you don't grow your kale(please consider doing so) give this recipe a try with store bought kale. You will find all kinds of kale in the salad isle these days. There are many many tasty recipes that use this wonder vegetable, this one is my family's favorite. It is hard to believe how easy the recipe is and how much of a crowd pleaser it is when served as an appetizer. Replace potato chips in your sandwich for kale chips for a healthier crunchy twist. You can always add your own spices and make this personal..adding your own twist. Once you start, you just can't stop..

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 big bunch of kale - well washed and towel dried and torn into 2-3 inch pieces. If you are buying from the salad isle, use one 10oz bag of torn kale. 

1 tsp of fresh cracked pepper

1/4 tsp Sea salt or Himalayan salt to taste

1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese (not the green box please)

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

3 table spoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4-cup pine nuts - lightly toasted

Now, let's get cooking..

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash and towel dry the kale. It is really important at this time for the kale to be dry. Wet kale does not work for this recipe and will steam in the oven rather than crisp.Tear the kale into 2-3 inch pieces. You want to be able to hold the chips after all! 

Toss the kale into a bowl and mix in olive oil, pepper and nutmeg (my twist). I love nutmeg in my spinach. Go ahead; give the kale a massage with your clean hands...give them a Spa treatment :)

Pour your utterly relaxed kale onto a non-stick or lightly oiled cookie sheet - no clumping, no over crowding. Each of the kale leaves need exposure to the oven heat so they turn into chips. Since this hardly takes time, make multiple batches if needed.

Bake for 15-20 minutes on the top rack until you see the edges slightly brown or turn to a very dark, almost brownish green. Oven temperatures, the kind of cookie sheet you use can change the equation slightly..If you can take a peek at 15 mins you'll know. The time needed to bake greatly depends on the thickness of the kale leaves. Mature kale leaves might need the full 20 mins while baby kale probably only needs 15 mins. Keeping an eye on the color of the kale and a ear out for the crackling sound from the oven is not a bad idea.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and toss the Himalayan pink salt. 

While this is baking, toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan for 60 seconds, moving the pan after 30 seconds to get an even toast. No oil needed. 

Toast pine nuts in medium heat

Start of the toasting process

45 seconds later

60 seconds later

Voila! Toasted pine nuts..

Shave the Parmesan cheese on top and add toasted pine nuts before you serve. There are few things that make my daughter give me a blissful smile - one such thing is the moment when freshly grated parmesan makes a soft landing on the food she is about to eat! It is an absolute delight to eat this and watch that smile!

The good in this recipe..

Kale is low in calories, good source of vitamins A, C and K, high in fiber, loaded with antioxidants and has zero fat. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Kale has great cardiovascular benefits due to its ability to lower cholesterol levels. It is a good anti-inflammatory and a great way to detox your system.  Virtually fuss free, inexpensive addition to the garden with the longest yield and best ROI. The homegrown kale is also usually tenderer than the store bought kale.  A true wonder for your body and can be for your wallet too if you grow your own. I am amazed I can summarize the good in 1 paragraph..it really is too good to fit in one page.

Pine nuts are a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and other compounds. It is not widely known that pine nuts can actively suppress feelings of hunger since they contain a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK). To complement this, pine nuts are also a good source of dietary fiber, which gives a feeling of fullness after eating. A single serving of the nuts can provide around 20% of the recommended daily amount of fiber. They are also rich in Vitamin K and provide 1/3 of the protein in a day (great if you are a vegetarian looking to up the protein). It is also chock full of minerals such as magnesium (1 serving has 85% of dv) and manganese (1 serving has 600% of the dv). Both these minerals are very useful in metabolizing fat and blood sugar. Although pine nuts have a host of benefits, it is worth pointing out that they are fairly high in saturated fat and calories, containing around 30% and 45% of the recommended daily amount of each respectively. Like my mom says...."everything in moderation is good for you". 

Himalayan pink salt is the purest naturally available source of salt available in the market today. Himalayan Pink Salt was originally formed from marine fossil deposits over 250 million years ago during the Jurassic era.  Harvested from ancient sea beds, this rare and extraordinary salt has been a valuable commodity for centuries. This salt naturally contains iodine without the artificial process of adding Iodine to your salt.  It also contains over 84 minerals and trace elements. Lot better than your standard NaCl(Sodium Chloride). At the end of the day, salt is salt :) use in moderation.