Kale Crisps

When I first heard of Kale Crisps, about a year ago, I was, naturally, intrigued.  I had never experimented with dark greens at that point in my life, let alone eaten them so it took me a while to get myself to try them, but when I finally did, there was no turning back.  They have the texture of a super thin potato chip minus the oily finger tips. I also love that I can add any flavours that I am craving at the time.  They make a perfect afternoon snack (made even more perfect with a glass of cold beer) or even as a side dish to go with a sandwich or wrap.  I think the best part of these, is the amount of ease it takes to make them.  Just tear the leaves from the stem, add some seasonings, and leave in a hot oven until crisp.  While I don't believe in 'guilty' pleasures, I do believe in eating good food, and this fits the bill perfectly.

There isn't much of an ingredient list here, save for the kale.  I use curly leaf kale when I make this, as I like that the curled leaves hold on to the seasonings really well.  As I said before, tear the leaves away from the stems (tossing the stems unless you know of something else fabulous to do with them) and lay them on a cookie sheet that has been lined with either a SilPat or a sheet of foil.  Drizzle or spray with oil and season as simply or as boldly as you prefer.  Leave this in a 420 oven for 8-10 minutes (depending on size) and repeat until you have made enough to satisfy yourself.

Some of the flavourings that I prefer are:

salt

nutritional yeast

dried oregano

chili powder

garlic salt/powder

chili flakes

cayenne pepper

lemon pepper

cumin

curry powder

Obviously, there are plenty more flavours to use on these, but these are what I always have out and always seem to please my palate.  Sometimes I only use two or three and sometimes I use up to five or six different seasonings.  The only thing that I would caution you on is the amount of salt that you use.  I would use slightly less than you think is necessary before baking and taste after they come out of the oven, just to prevent on over salting.

Happy eating!