All Hail the Kale, Part 1: Kale Chips

I freaking love kale. Love it. Maybe you've noticed. I've written about it here. And here. But you know how I love it the very very best? Baked into crispy chips. That's right - kale chips. If you read as many food blogs as I do, you know that recipes and accolades for kale chips are ubiquitous. Everybody - yes everybody - raves.

Talk about the simplest, tastiest, healthiest snack on the planet. I literally make midnight runs to the grocery to pick up kale when the craving for kale chips sets in (alas, I don't grow it in my little garden). Made a big batch tonight because of that very urge. They really do make you feel as though you're eating junk food (salty! crispy!) when that couldn't be farther from the truth. Low-calorie and chock full of iron, fiber, antioxidants, beta carotene, and vitamin K, it's a downright power veggie. Bring it on.

So to make kale chips:

• wash
• dry
• break the leaves off of the thick stems in bite-size chunks
• toss with a drizzle of olive oil
• season with kosher salt (or any flavored salt/seasoning that you like)
• bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes, or until the edges start to turn brown.

Once you remove them from the oven and let them cool just a bit, if they've been cooked perfectly, the delicate chips will simply shatter in your mouth with an explosion of flavor, and the bitterness of the green will have vanished. Test the times in your oven - I find that 12 minutes is *perfect* in mine.

OMG - is my batch finished yet???