Recipe: Kale Chips

Eating kale provides our bodies with an impressive amount of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. Can you ask anything else from a vegetable? Unfortunately, kale has kind of a funny texture raw. I have had roasted kale before and it was delicious, but other than that I have only eaten kale in the form of dehydrated chips – kale chips! Kale chips are generally very expensive when you buy them at the store. Especially considering how fast those suckers go down. Just like any other chip, the crispy, salty kale chips are addicting. But this time you don’t have to feel bad if you eat them all! It’s much cheaper to make your own kale chips. It is also very easy.

What you need:

1 large bunch of kale

3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

Fresh cracked black pepper

Sea salt

Cayenne powder (optional)

Take a large bunch of kale rinse, dry, and cut into squares the best you can. Keep in mind that the kale shrinks a lot when it dehydrates, but even the little pieces are good, so don’t worry about it too much. Cut around the stems. The stems are hard and very bitter when dehydrated with the leaves, so it’s best to leave them out. Place the cut up kale in a mixing bowl.

 

In a separate bowl mix 3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, fresh cracked ground pepper, sea salt, and cayenne powder (if you  like a little spice) to taste. Pour over kale and massage the liquid mixture evenly throughout the kale pieces with your hands.

                                   Bob is massaging the liquid mixture evenly throughout the kale

 Place marinated kale in the dehydrator. Give each piece a little space.

 After 12 hours in the dehydrator, your kale chips are ready to be consumed! Store in an airtight container or else your kale chips will go stale quickly. I read that if that happens you can pop them back in the dehydrator for a bit and they will crisp right back up. I can’t say I have tested that theory myself.

 

If you don’t have a dehydrator, it’s just as easy to dehydrate your kale in the oven. You also don’t have to wait as long before they are ready to eat.