Ecosalon Recipes: Salty Snack Cravings? DIY Kale Chips

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Future chips.

Kale is in season and new recipes for the sturdy leaves are all the rage, but sometimes a woman just needs a chip. Though the flavor of fresh kale and the wholesome feeling in your belly is worth the chewing (and chewing), the oral stamina required of the roughage will not cure those salty snack cravings we all get.

KALE CHIPS

You’ll need 1-2 bunches of kale and about a cup of coating.

The coating:

The coating can be varied according to your favorite herbs and flavor seasonings. Try mixing 3-4 tablespoons of high-quality, fruity olive oil with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, two teaspoons of coarse sea salt, and a few pinches of your favorite herbs.You might add in a clove of chopped garlic. Coat but don’t saturate the leaves, or they won’t crisp.

To cook:

Place coated leaves on an oiled tray and bake them in the oven at 350 degrees until they crisp up, about 20 minutes. After 10 minutes you should take a quick peek and if they are not crisping, bump up the oven temperature 25-50 degrees.

Alternatives:

– Sprinkle the kale leaves with parmesan curls, sesame seeds or almond slivers to add texture and flavor.

– Add cayenne, paprika or cumin for interesting depth.

– If you prefer your greens living and raw, remove the stems and marinate the leaves in water with sea salt and agave nectar for about 30 minutes. Then lay them out in a dehydrator (under 115 degrees) and they’ll be ready in 8-10 hours.

Kale offers the most beautiful shade of bluish-green sustenance to your body, providing a lot of both vitamins A and C, plus calcium and iron. Eating kale raw (which is the best way to make the most of all those vitamins and enzymes) is always best, but when you need a chip, you need a chip.

Image: sleepyneko

with additional reporting by Sara Ost