Sneaky Kale Chips

BACK TO BASICS | by MOLLY MARTIN

SNEAKING VEGETABLES into your diet can be challenging, for children and adults alike. Juice manufacturers are trying by mixing fruits with vegetables to create a tastier beverage, but often valuable fiber is lost in the process. At restaurants you sometimes get more veggie for your buck if an entrée is served atop the vegetable- or fruit-based sauce called a coulis, but often there’s just not enough time to reproduce that at home.

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No such obstacles with Kale Chips: This quick and simple way to prepare nutritious kale yields a surprisingly crisp, deliciously savory and even addictive appetizer. You can find a variety of recipes by searching for “roasted kale”, but here’s one of the easiest:

Kale Chips

Serves 2 as an appetizer

1 bunch kale (green or purple), washed and dried thoroughly

Olive-oil spray

Sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.

Remove the stems from the kale by folding each leaf in half and pulling off the leaves. Discard the stems. Tear the leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Spray with the olive oil and toss, repeating until the leaves are well covered.

Lightly spray a baking sheet with the olive oil and spread the leaves so they don’t overlap. (Use a second baking sheet if needed.) Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and put in the oven for 7 minutes. Turn the kale, then bake for another 7 to 10 minutes, until the pieces are crispy and the edges are just starting to brown. Serve immediately and enjoy.