Crunchy Kale Chips

I was short on ideas on what to do for dinner the other night. It was just me and my toddler so I wanted something quick and easy. He is not big on dinner so I didn't want to spend too much time on our meal. I remembered that I had a bunch of kale in my fridge that needed to be used and I thought I could make some crunchy kale. I made this once before and it was a huge hit. My son and I ate a whole bowl together. This is great as a snack or to serve on the side.

Crunchy Kale

4-6 stems of Kale
1-2 Tbs Olive Oil
Salt to taste

• Preheat oven to 350 and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Rinse kale in and then dry in a salad spinner.
• Take a paper towel and dry any wet spots (the kale has to be really dry to get crunchy).
• Remove thick center stems. Use scissors to cut or use fingers to tear kale into 'chip' size pieces. 
• Arrange kale on the baking sheet, make sure not to crowd them together too close. 
• Lightly drizzle oil on kale. Lightly sprinkle with salt. 
• Put in the oven for 5-10 minutes. After 5 minutes check every 1-2 minutes, as it can go from crispy to over cooked really fast. 

Kale is ready to go into the oven.

Kale is crispy and ready to eat.

Not only did he clear his plate, he ate off the tray and then we made a second batch.

This is the second time we have made crunchy kale in our house and both times it disappeared faster than the time it took to make it. Not only did my son eat all the Kale chips I put on his plate, he then climbed up on his step stool in the kitchen and ate what was left on the tray. After that he asked me to make more, so I made a second batch and he ate half of that too! I wasn't worried about him eating too many like I am with other types of chips.

Make sure you lightly drizzle the oil on top of the kale, too much and it will burn really fast. The first time I made this I put too much oil and they were over cooked in 5 minutes. This time I put less oil and they cooked for 7 minutes. If you would like to add different seasonings you can add Parmesan cheese or other seasonings once you take it out of the oven.  

I would love to hear what you think about this recipe. What healthy snacks you like to eat or feed your family?