Cooking With Kale: Why Didn’t I Make Kale Chips Sooner?
I’m definitely more of an adventurous eater than I am an adventurous cook. I’ve eaten kale, sure, at restaurants and when Jenn whipped up a breakfast version. But I’ve never purchased and whipped up any kale myself. I’ll be honest—because my grocery store doesn’t label its kale bundles, I wasn’t even sure I was buying the right thing. What was I making? Kale chips, from Michelle Stern’s The Whole Family Cookbook, which I reviewed last year.
What did I learn? That I need to not be so hesitant to attempt new recipes, as the kale chips were a big hit in our house. My hubby, notoriously picky about his veggies, was in love. I couldn’t get him to step away—a good problem to have when it comes to leafy green vegetables! He actually said “I could probably eat kale chips in lieu of potato chips” and “I don’t see how these are healthy for you—they’re so good.” My daughter, after making faces the first time, actually started scarfing them down when I made them again.
Seriously. It was surprising that something as simple as kale sprinkled with a little bit of oil, salt and pepper could be so tasty and crunchy and delicious. And they’re so easy that I got overconfident, didn’t check the temperature and mistakenly baked a batch at 400 degrees when trying to use up the rest of my kale stash. Fire alarm city!
Click on over for more on my adventures with kale chips and the super-simple recipe! —Erin