Oven Roasted Kale Chips

A really tough day at work today, a long day of meetings, with meetings even during lunch! The obvious choice for the lunch order for the meeting was sandwiches and chips. Although I had packed my lunch for the day and could easily ignore the sandwiches, the same couldn't be said about the bags of potato chips. I don't know about you, but I cannot resist potato chips. I decided to pass and promised to myself I will make a healthier version of these. That's how these 'Kale Chips' came to be. I absolutely love oven roasting veggies and am a firm believer that is one of the most healthiest and tastiest ways to each a veggie you haven't tried before.

With just 3 ingredients, and absolutely no prep time at all, all the time you will be spending for these Kale chips, is the baking and then the eating. If this is not motivation enough, here is some more. A cup of Kale contains 206% of Vitamin A, 124% of Vitamin C and 9% Calcium, with only 4 gms of carb.

I have used curly kale in this recipe, but feel free to use any type of Kale. Italian Kale aka Dinosaur Kale is also good. Wash the Kale leaves and gently pat with paper towels to dry the leaves. Use a salad spinner if you have one. It is very important to dry the leaves, or you may end up steaming the kale in the oven instead of roasting it. Rip the leaves from the stalks and the ribs and tear the Kale into bite sized pieces.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, toss the torn kale pieces along with the garlic olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan if using. Gently massage the oil onto the kale leaves. Place on a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer. Do not overcrowd. Bake for 10 -15 minutes, turning the pan once in the middle and shaking it for even browning. For my bunch of kale, I had to use 2 baking sheets. Bake until Kale turns crispy and slightly browned around the edges.

Verdict: Enjoy without Guilt! There is no worrying about portion sizing or calories and carbs. They are salty and crunchy just like potato chips. And guess who finished most of this - my husband. The picky, no healthy food eating husband. Now that means something!

Sending this to:

- Show me Your Hits - Diabetic Friendly

- Healthy Me, Healthy Us event

and Lets Cook for Kids