Collard or Kale Chips
by Dr Jo
My friend who heads up the church garden encouraged us to enjoy the kale harvested and shared from the garden. She sent out this recipe and said, “I guarantee your kids will love them.” Well, I haven’t had the courage to introduce them to my grandchildren, but I certainly enjoyed them.
Every year I plant kale and collards in our family garden because they are so high in nutrients, especially calcium. But I must admit I’ve had a hard time figuring out how to fix them so we will eat more of them.
So making chips out of any green leafy vegetable came as a delightful surprise to me.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. (Some folks use a little higher heat.)
Wash the kale or collard, then cut out the stems.
Oil the leaves (Olive oil is a bit thicker, grape seed oil a bit thinner. Those oils hold up the best under heat,)
3 different ways to oil the leaves (your choice), listed in the order of my preference:
1. Oil a flat baking pan, then rub the leaves in the oil
2. Brush oil on the leaves with a pastry brush
3. Tear leaves in bit size pieces, then shake them with the oil in a container
Arrange the oiled leaves on the baking pans so the edges do not overlap.
Sprinkle with any seasoning you like, granulated garlic, cayenne, Italian seasoning mix, French seasoning mix, etc. Let your imagination guide you.
Place pans in the preheated oven at 300 degrees F. My oven holds 4 pans at once.
Check the leaves in 5 minutes or watch carefully the first time you try this. You don’t want the leaves to burn or brown, but rather to get crisp. Turn over and bake for another 6 minutes. If they are very crispy, they are ready to eat.
If they don’t completely disappear down the gullet right out of the oven, let them cool and then seal in an air tight container to keep the crisp.
Much healthier than potato chips!
Another option: I left the leaves whole while baking, makes turning them easier and faster. They easily crumble into bit size pieces when they are crisp out of the oven (let them cool a bit first).
Enjoy,
Dr. Jo
My friend who heads up the church garden encouraged us to enjoy the kale harvested and shared from the garden. She sent out this recipe and said, “I guarantee your kids will love them.” Well, I haven’t had the courage to introduce them to my grandchildren, but I certainly enjoyed them.
Every year I plant kale and collards in our family garden because they are so high in nutrients, especially calcium. But I must admit I’ve had a hard time figuring out how to fix them so we will eat more of them.
So making chips out of any green leafy vegetable came as a delightful surprise to me.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. (Some folks use a little higher heat.)
Wash the kale or collard, then cut out the stems.
Oil the leaves (Olive oil is a bit thicker, grape seed oil a bit thinner. Those oils hold up the best under heat,)
3 different ways to oil the leaves (your choice), listed in the order of my preference:
1. Oil a flat baking pan, then rub the leaves in the oil
2. Brush oil on the leaves with a pastry brush
3. Tear leaves in bit size pieces, then shake them with the oil in a container
Arrange the oiled leaves on the baking pans so the edges do not overlap.
Sprinkle with any seasoning you like, granulated garlic, cayenne, Italian seasoning mix, French seasoning mix, etc. Let your imagination guide you.
Place pans in the preheated oven at 300 degrees F. My oven holds 4 pans at once.
Check the leaves in 5 minutes or watch carefully the first time you try this. You don’t want the leaves to burn or brown, but rather to get crisp. Turn over and bake for another 6 minutes. If they are very crispy, they are ready to eat.
If they don’t completely disappear down the gullet right out of the oven, let them cool and then seal in an air tight container to keep the crisp.
Much healthier than potato chips!
Another option: I left the leaves whole while baking, makes turning them easier and faster. They easily crumble into bit size pieces when they are crisp out of the oven (let them cool a bit first).
Enjoy,
Dr. Jo