Kale Chips?

Our family has been incredibly blessed lately in so many specific areas that to deny the hand of the Father would be lunacy. Very recently we were blessed with the bountiful goodness from a friends garden. There was a difference this time. Along with your typical fall garden fare of squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and potatoes, came the not so typical. Now, I am neither a foe of the fall garden harvest nor am I afraid to try new and very interesting recipes, even if they involve the elusive and yet beautiful Kale. The bag was overflowing with this leafy specimen as she handed it to me. "Great!" I exclaimed truly grateful. "What should I do with it?" I inquired seriously not having ever cooked it, eaten it, or even seen it. Her answer was short, to the point, and involved the word "chips." She said quite simply "We make kale chips". Did I mention the sheepish grin involved? I would later discover the cause of the grin was the addictive nature of these teeth covering chips.

Do you remember the movie, "Jerry Maguire", and the now famous line, "You had me at hello."? Well my friends, that was exactly how I felt. You had me at chips. Need I say more?!!? I will try most anything involving the word chips.

She proceeds to tell me how her family frequently makes this recipe at home and the kids really like it. I set out to recreate this delicious and amazingly healthy snack which was really very simple and very fast. After tasting the first one, I was curiously hooked. With a slightly odd taste, a yummy hint of garlic salt, and a truly addictive crispiness, I had to investigate the health benefits of the unknown plant source of the snack I had just devoured.

To my extreme surprise upon a quick googling of the plant, Kale was touted as one of the healthiest things around. It is shown to be an effective cancer prevent er for 5 major types of cancer. These properties can best be realized by simply steaming this leafy veggie for 5 mins. and adding a pinch of sea salt or garlic salt. You will also realize several of the same benefits by preparing it the way I did, as chips.

If you have the chance, try it. You might be pleasantly surprised. If you have an even better recipe, send that in too.

Begin by rinsing off the leaves well. Tear them into small pieces (chip size). Put them onto a cookie sheet and brush olive oil on the greens. Then sprinkle with either sea salt or garlic salt. Finally, bake at 350 for 8 - 10 minutes until just slightly crispy. You want to be careful to watch the time as they can burn easily.

After going on about the positives, I do feel it important to warn you to eat this with dental floss in your pocket. These dark green leafy chips stay around your teeth longer than any poppy seed or popcorn kernel hands down!