So, one of the reasons I haven't been posting as much is that I've been pretty much gone for the last two weeks for work... and before that, I think I was just going out a lot. My liver really loves me. And after eating at some absolutely delicious places on my travels (some highlights were Au Pied de Cochon and Schwartz's in Montreal and omg-too-many-restaurants-to-even-think-about in New Orleans) (okay, a few in NOLA were Cochon and The Green Goddess) (note how most of those restaurants featured meat), my body was really hating me. The thought of meat made my stomach protest - and that is rare. So when I got back, I went on a largely kale, spinach, and quinoa diet until I felt vaguely healthy again.
One of my favorite things - and one of the easiest - was kale chips. Recipes abound all over the blogosphere. And yes, they are absolutely delightful - quick and simple, and perfect for noshing on while preparing dinner (or, more usually, crashing on the couch in front of the tv). They barely taste like they're good for you at all - and that's the best kind of healthy there is.
As I mentioned above, you can find tons of recipes on the internets. But, in case you're interested, here's the routine I have down. I buy a big bunch of kale at the market, and can make these all week long. (Kale keeps well in the fridge!)
Preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit (I have an electric oven. It sucks, but it's what I have.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take about five or six leaves of kale, rinse them well, de-stem them, and cut into large pieces. (Curly kale, which the only kind I can find in the markets here, has a thick stem down the center that doesn't cook at the same pace as the rest of the leaves, so it's better to remove them.) Toss with some olive oil, spread out onto a baking sheet, and sprinkle lightly with salt (a little goes a long way!). Pop in the oven, and bake until done. I haven't really timed it, but you do need to watch the kale closely because it'll go from its original state to brighter green and slightly limp, to crispy, and then to burnt very quickly. (I usually have just enough time to wash the dishes from my lunch, put on pajamas, and find something on tv to watch... so... 8 minutes or so? It will depend on how quickly your oven heats.) Burnt kale tastes gross. Crispy kale tastes great!
There are other recipes on the internet that gussy up the kale chips more with cheese and other spices, but I'm pretty happy with this recipe because it takes so little work. Maybe someday I'll crumble them up and use them to flavor popcorn - but usually they're gone in the blink of an eye.
