Recipe Review: Zesty Baked Kale Chips

Today's post is all about food!  I wanted to share with you my review of a recipe I came across and tested out this afternoon ... Zesty Baked Kale Chips.  Just so you know - I love potato chips just as much as the next person.  I definitely would not call myself a health nut.  I do, however, love trying new things!  Kale is also said to have many benefits.  WebMD describes kale as a "nutritional powerhouse."  It is low in calories and high in vitamins A, C, and K.  Pass me the kale, please!

The recipe I used is found on Sommer Collier's website www.aspicyperspective.com.  She has some incredible dishes that my husband and I have really enjoyed trying out.  I will paste the recipe below, but click here to see all the details of her full recipe.    

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches kale
• 2 heaping Tb. almond butter
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the kale and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Pull the leaves off the center ribs in large pieces and pile on a baking sheet. Discard the ribs.
2. In a small bowl mix the nut butter, oil, spices, and salt. Pour over the kale. Use your hands to massage the kale leaves until each one is evenly coated with the spice mixture. You don't want any of the leaves to be drenched in the mixture, so take your time doing this. The more evenly the kale leaves are coated, the better they will bake.
3. Lay the kale leaves out flat on 3-4 full sized baking sheets (work in batches if necessary.) Do not overlap. Bake for 10-11 minutes until crisp but still green. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before moving. If some kale chips are still a little flimsy or damp, remove the crisp chips and place the damp chips back in the oven for a few more minutes. Store in an air-tight container.

Difficulty:  
Overall this recipe was very easy!  I've never used kale before and this was a good recipe to start with.  I also had fun making these chips.  I think this would be an excellent recipe to get your children involved in - it's simple and a little messy!  

Preparation:
It took me a little longer than the estimated 15 minutes to prep everything.  I may have had an especially large bundle of kale, but it took the full amount of almond butter and spice mixture to coat 1 bundle of kale rather than 2 for me.  Instead of pouring the mixture over the kale as the recipe says, I kept the mixture in a bowl and coated each leaf individually before placing it flat on the baking sheet.  Definitely don't drench the leaves!  It doesn't take much to evenly coat each one. 

Taste:
Personally, I really liked the flavor of my first kale chips!  The chips were crispy and flavorful.  They weren't spicy so if you want to turn the heat up a little you can add extra cayenne pepper to your mixture or whatever other spice of choice you like.  My husband was a different story though.  He tasted them and thought they were disgusting so I would not qualify these as "man food!"  He's more of a "meat & potatoes" kind of guy.

Overall, I would certainly make this recipe again sometime!  I also tried baking some kale chips simply coated in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.  These were tasty too but not nearly as "zesty!"  So if you are feeling adventurous, pick up some kale and give this recipe a whirl.  If you like it or if you have tips for making it even better, let me know!