Whew! I made it back to Canada in one piece and the first thing I did when I got here? I made kale crisps. There’s just something about the confines of a plane and watching my fellow passengers chow down on mystery meat that makes me want to run for the nearest bunch of leafy greens as fast as possible. Call me crazy.
Although they may appear a little freaky (you try making baked kale look appetizing), I guarantee that these crisps are every bit as addictive as potato chips! Light, lacey, and crispy, with a hint of whatever kind of seasoning you can throw at ‘em, you will be fighting over every last crumb and wondering how you ever hated kale in the first place. Seriously.
Delicious Addictive Kale?
We all know that kale must be good for us because:
– It looks scary
– It is always in the produce section of health food stores
– Your yoga instructor is constantly trying to get you to eat it
Fine. But I feel the need to make a case for this under-appreciated leaf, because it really is all it’s cracked up to be. First of all, it packs more nutritional punch per calorie than almost any other food on the planet. Seriously. It is crazy-loaded with vitamin K, an essential vitamin for preventing bone fractures, postmenopausal bone loss, calcification of your arteries, and has even been shown to protect against liver and prostate cancer. And because kale is a member of the brassica family (think broccoli, cabbage, collards, and Brussels sprouts) it contains the organosulfur compounds that appear able to lessen the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers.
Kale is also excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese. It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, calcium, copper, vitamin B6, and potassium. This combination of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients makes kale a health superstar, for real.
And besides being SOOOOO healthy, kale actually does taste good when you know how to prepare it. For the novice, I would not suggest munching on kale leaves completely raw, but trying this crisps recipe could be a good first step. Once you’ve mastered that, you could move onto a recipe such as this pan-glazed tempeh, and perhaps then you’ll be ready to eat it in a raw salad. As with any new food, especially when cooking for kids, ease in slowly and try lots of different preparation methods before giving up. Kale is undoubtedly a nutritional miracle and we’d all benefit from it becoming a recurring ingredient in our cooking repertoire.
Totally Addictive Kale Crisps
Ingredients:
•1 bunch of kale
•1/2 lemon
•1 Tbsp. maple syrup
•1 tsp. salt
•1 tsp. tamari
•2 Tbsp. olive oil
•1/4 cup sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 200 F.
2. Wash kale thoroughly and spin dry, trying to remove as much water as possible.
3. Tear kale away from stem. Each kale leaf should be torn into about 6 or eight pieces
4. Place all ingredients except for the kale into a bowl, whisk together.
5. Add the kale and mix together with your hands, gently massaging the leaves with the dressing.
6. Lay kale out on a cookie sheet or pizza pan and place in oven. Set timer for 30 minutes.
7. At 30 minutes, remove from oven and gently unstick kale from pan if it has stuck and replace for another 10-15 minutes until kale is dry and crispy.
8. Allow to cool. Can store in fridge for up to a week.
This recipe is very flexible and you can use any “dressing” you like to change things up if you fancy. My friend Meghan has the most fantastic food blog, and she has five different kale crisp recipes on her site, all of them totally fabulous. It is safe to say that she is a kale chip fanatic – me too!
I hope you give this recipe a try, especially if you have kids/friends/parents/lovers/bosses/bus drivers who hate green things, because they will become kale crisp-devouring monsters, and you a pleased, kale-love purveyor.
Ich habe gerade deinen Blog entdeckt. Danke für so ein tolles Rezept!
I’m going to go harvest some of the kale I have growing in our garden and try your recipe! Thanks for the simple recipe, can’t wait to try it! Any other kale favorites you’d like to share? I have SO much kale to work with :)
How much is “1 bunch” of kale? The bunches of kale I see in the stores and at the local farmers’ market are all different sizes. Could you perhaps give a measuring-cup measure?
Margaret
All your recipes are stunning. Just be reminded to use standardized products to make sure your cooked food is safe. More power.
Oh, I adore you, my healthy-feeding-me genius! I’ve made them…so good! Also I’ve also made some sauce from winter abundance bowl recipe, as a dip. Eating it makes me too happy to write more… 🙂 Thank you for your blog!
This is definitely one of our favorite snacks! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Just tried making your kale chips and they turned out soggy. They didn’t become crispy. They tasted good soggy and I’ll have them in a salad tomorrow, but I’d like to get to be soggy. It’s my first time making kale chips. Any advice?
A friend mentioned your site to me yesterday & I visited today and found this recipe. Had a bunch of organic kale in the fridge and decided it was time I tried kale chips. Have avoided to date as they are so expensive in the shops. After 10 minutes in the oven I could not wait for them to cook/crisp, the smell was SO AMAZING !! Mine did take a little longer to cook but so worth the wait. Awesome warm straight out of the oven and just as good when they had cooled. Have already eaten more than half. Thank You for such a brilliant recipe / new snack 🙂
This is my first time at your website. I saw this recipe and made it immediately! I was very much a skeptic because I have tried kale in other forms and not enjoyed it. I wasn’t willing to give up! I took these out of the oven, and before I knew it, I had eaten half the pan! I’ve been converted! These are amazing!
I’ve made chard chips and they work too-they cook much faster though, so keep an eye on them in the oven–maybe 15 minutes instead of 30 initially. It also helps to put them in as soon as you turn on the oven to benefit from the lower temperatures while the oven pre-heats. I’ve tried faster methods and higher temps, but then one ends up with crispy burnt greens (which are still tasty, but they likely lose the good green goodness).
Hello Anonymous,
I think chard is simply too delicate for this to work. You could always give it a try, but my instincts tell me no 🙂
Best, Sarah B
Does this also work for chard?
all lovely
Yummy. Love kale chips.. great blog
you should check out mine too 🙂
http://nicolefranzen.blogspot.com/
Oh wow how yummy!
And I really like your little place here. Such great photography. And food! And the food is healthy, which is awesome.
I love kale and I’ve been looking for a creative way to use it, I’m sold!
Thank you!
OH sarah! I just made these and they are incredible! I’M HOOKED!!
I came to your site via Greek Kitchen Stories and I’m so glad that I did because your blog is truly stunning.
I first came across a recipe for Kale Chips on Smitten Kitchen and was so excited about the idea of making them. Of course, I didn’t… but after seeing your post, you’ve inspired me to make it.
Thank you!
Hi Sarah! Kale chips are so hot right now! I made some and they are yummy!
I was wondering if as a nutritionist you ever help women who are pregnant? I am in my first trimester of my first pregnancy. As a vegetarian (who is open to eating some dairy and eggs)I am nervous about my eating throughout my pregnancy. My midwife said that I have to get even more protein for blood production, but I am worried about gaining too much weight. Plus I only have an appetite for fresh fruit and raw veggies right now. Any thoughts on prenatal nutrition?
Hi Sarah,
My wife and I are reading through your blog and find it immensely informative. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge :).
We are working on changing our eating habits to a more wholesome diet, but we are wondering quite a bit about how to do a wholesome, nutritious breakfast. What guidelines would you recommend for a proper breakfast?
And also, we have started making our own milk to avoid store-bought soy-based milk, but what to do about yogurt? Go without or is it possible to make your own alternative?
How in general do you put together a day’s menu?
Once again thank you for the valuable information in here.
Best wishes from Helsingør 🙂
(and yes, it is damn hard to find proper true organic ingredients here in Denmark)
Im a huge fan of kale crisps or “chips” as we call them. I love to make them in the dehydrator with just a little olive oil and sea salt but I love your recipe with the tamari and sesame seeds! beautiful!
I tried making kale chips before and really liked them, but I think your recipe looks so much better. I love the addition of maple syrup and sesame seeds. Guess I’m going to have to go up to the store and get some more kale!
oh how I love Kale. It’s so cheap in Brazil and so expensive here. frustrating!
I love love love kale! I used to make kale chips all the time but have forgotten about them lately. Thanks for the reminder!
Sarah thx to GKS I found your site-luv it!
I eat about 80% raw and am always looking for inspiration.
You did well making the kale look good- tricky I know
I just did olive oil and sea salt and they were amazing too! Thanx for sharing your wisdom and your talent
We need a kale chip date! If you find yourself in the west end between now and Friday do let me know!
just found your site and its so great! we eat alike, so I am very inspired here. i saw kale chips at whole foods today and they were so pricey! glad to have this recipe on hand. best to you ~
i’ve just found your blog and i’m totally in love! i’ve made kale chips before and absolutely loved them.
The first time I tried kale, I was intrigued but not quite hooked. Perhaps I’ll need to make another trip to the farmers market and give this recipe a try.