Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Kale Chips - Plain



Kale is something that I always cook. I have tried to add kale to my green smoothies, and lets just say even I have my limits. Raw kale is not something that I enjoy. This is why I was curious to taste kale chips. I see kale chips on blogs everywhere and decided that I had to give them a try.

I put these together last night before bed. In the morning I got up and tried one and thought “I don’t know about these they taste green”. However each time I went by the dehydrator I grabbed another “chip”. The next thing I knew I had eaten an entire tray of kale chips. That was when I knew these were actually good. I am going to say they are an acquired taste, but it didn’t take long for me to come around. Here is what I did.

Kale Chips - Plain
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, destemmed and leaves torn into large pieces (about 8 cups)
olive or canola oil in a mister
1 pinch of dulse granules

Directions:

Place the kale on a half sheet pan in a single layer. Spray the kale with oil and sprinkle with dulse granules. Toss the kale and return it to a single layer and spray it a second time and sprinkle it again with dulse granules.

Put the kale pieces in your dehydrator and let it dry overnight. In the morning you will have crunchy kale chips.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 48.11
Calories From Fat (18%) - 8.59

Total Fat - 1g
Saturated Fat - 0.11g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 39.12mg
Potassium - 402.05mg
Total Carbohydrates - 8.98g
Fiber - 1.79g
Sugar - 0g
Protein - 2.95g

I assumed that I used ½ teaspoon of oil when spraying the chips. That is probably overstating the fat content but the recovering accountant in me needs to be conservative.

Comments:

Given that I don’t like raw kale these are much better than I expected them to be. In fact they are sort of addictive. I love the texture and crunch. They are light, airy and crispy. I used dulse granules on these chips to keep the sodium level down but you can use salt if you prefer.

Nutritionally this snack is a powerhouse. Each small serving has over 13,000IU of vitamin A, 100mg of vitamin C, 120mg of calcium, and 700mcg of vitamin K. Needless to say kale has now gone on my permanent grocery list as something to buy each week. Expect to see flavor variations on this recipe in the coming months.

If you are looking for a crunchy snack but don’t want kale I posted a interesting recipe for sweet potato chips with lime and chipotle chili powder that you might was to try instead.

10 comments:

  1. I haven't tried these yet- thanks for sharing!
    Debra

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  2. Debra,

    That surprises me. I assumed this was a regular recipe at your house.

    Alicia

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  3. Wow thanks Alicia. I am not a photographer and think my photos are amateur compared to everyone else's in blogger universe so that means alot.

    Tersiguel's does currently have a vegetarian dinner option of vegetables and starches: creamed spinach, potato gnocchi, beet risotto, sweet red cabbage, and haricot vert.
    (I don't think it's completely vegan, but I'm sure they could prepare it differently [or as you say, "veganized" :o} ] for a vegan that requested it)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Madeleine,

    Tersiguel's has a vegetarian menu now. That really surprises me, in a good way! We may have to check it out soon. Thanks for letting me know.

    The picture of the bird and bay bridge you posted were fantastic. You have a great eye.

    Alicia

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  5. Rose,

    The kale chips are much better than I expected. I kept going back to grab a few all morning. They are oddly addictive like the seitan jerky that my husband keeps asking me to make again.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  6. You would think. My dehydrator has been going non stop with tomatoes. When they are done then I can try other things! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Debra,

    It is a little late for tomatoes here or I would be doing the same thing.

    BTW, the dehydrated eggplant wraps from yesterday worked much better than I expected. I may now be doing more raw food too.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, I see the dulse granules. Sheesh! The shipping is twice the cost of the granules. I will look for them at Whole Foods. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Shenandoah,

    I buy the dulse at our local healthfood store where it costs $3.29 for a little can. The can lasts a long time (months). I have turned a few friends on to the dulse. The color is like pepper, but the taste is good and it also contains trace minerals because it is seaweed.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete

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