A while back I saw a recipe for kale chips in a WW magazine. It claimed that kale chips tasted just like potato chips. The idea of a baked veggie as a potato chip seemed unfathomable. Who are they trying to fool? I've had some other veggie snacks that turned out to be nothing but deep fried WW points nightmares. There is nothing worse than trying so hard to eat right only to find out you were deceived by some marketing department.
While perusing Gourmet Garage this week my eye spotted boxes of what else but kale chips! Seeing that box awakened my curiosity. Instead of spending the $8.99; (Yes they do cost $8.99!) I decided to try to make a batch myself. I picked up some dinosaur kale from the Union Square farmers market and gave it a go. I followed a recipe from a health conscious blog, called Katlyn's Kitchen. I made mine with the vinegar but found that it didn't really add much to the final product. There are all sorts of variations on these but I like them plain and simple. I think that adding cheese would weigh them down. There is no need to complicate them with some added spices. Also, as you can see from my picture I was a little lazy and cut my kale in large pieces. It's a lot harder to eat this in large pieces so I recommend that you cut yours in bite size pieces.
Kale chips were not quite the same as potato chips. If you close your eyes real tight and eat one that is thin and crisp you just might be fooled. They do not have a strong taste but that crunch and salt comes through. They were a good after dinner, TV watching snack. On those nights, well just about any night for me, where you want a little something salty and crunchy after dinner. Not only can you soothe your hankering but get a serving of veggies and a lot of vitamins too. Let me know what you think of them! Ingredients: Serves Four 1 large bunch of kale 2 tablespoons olive oil* salt/pepper Method:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Wash and chop kale into bite size pieces.
- Place kale in a big zip lock bag and add oil, salt, and pepper. Shake bag to coat kale.
- Place pieces of kale on a large baking sheet, do not over crowd.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until kale is nice and crispy.
Weight Watcher Points: 2 points per serving *If you really want to be a WW stickler you can do what WW suggested and use cooking spray instead of the olive oil to reduce points. I think using good quality EEOV added some nice flavor that my PAM can't provide.