WE WERE LIVING IN ITALY WHEN IT ALL STARTED. The kale craze. I kept hearing about kale–how healthy kale was for kids, how skinny you’d be if you ate kale, how Gwyneth Paltrow and Tracy Anderson ate nothing but kale and look at how skinny they are. I couldn’t quite figure out how to say “kale” in Italian though and my linguistic laziness (fueled by life with our third newborn in four years) prevented me from pursuing it. So kale was relegated to the list of things I’d enjoy once we were back on US soil, like trips to Target or having conversations.
And sure enough once we arrived, I started buying kale by the bunch (at farmers’ markets) and bag (at the grocery store). Since January I’ve made kale smoothies, kale baby food, scrambled eggs with kale, sauteed kale in olive oil with garlic and lemon juice, and I’ve started adding kale to all manner of rice or pasta dish. But the best method for moving kale from the fridge to tummies so far has been kale chips. I have two favorite techniques–and many reasons to try them over and over. (Thanks for the infographic, NutriBullet!) 
HOW TO MAKE KALE CHIPS, 2 WAYS
- Preheat oven to 250
- Wash and dry about half a head of kale or 2-3 heaping handfuls. Chop kale into bite-size pieces about the size of potato chips.
- Using a half-sheet pan (18″ x 13″ x 1″ high) or cookie sheet, lay out parchment paper or baking mat.
- Put dry kale on sheet, then dress with either a. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt or b. 1 tablespoon Ranch dressing (yes), 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Rub the oil mixture all over the kale then separate it, arranging all the leaves in a single layer.
- Pop in the oven for 25 minutes.
Once they’re done, serve in a bowl or right onto those little plates. Crispy, very good for you, and pretty easy to make. So far, these have been the biggest hits–and I’ve tried many different things. Enjoy!
PS. Living in the US again has also meant some streaming TV and when I’m not glued to any episode of any HGTV show, I’m particularly enjoying this one, thanks to the brilliant casting of James Van Der Beek as a PERFECT version of James Van Der Beek–and my favorite reference to kale so far.
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