Meals For One: Kale Chips

Having had a rather hectic week, I was inspired to make a recipe for singles living a hectic week. While not technically a full meal, kale chips are a wonderful snack with the added bonus of being (mostly) healthy.

And maybe it's just me, but there are nights where I would definitely skip dinner and make these if it meant that I didn't have to get dressed and drive to McDonald's. Kale chips capitalize on the superfood craze, providing a quick and easy way to put something green into your body without gagging. A touch of salt makes these wonderfully tasty, and I look forward to making them again. I even got my parents to man up and try them, and they admit they would eat the snack again (they said this while eating half my tray of chips, so I can only assume they approve.)

Kale Chips

Total time: ≈25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 large bunch kale, tough stems removed, leaves torn into pieces 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Position racks in upper third and center of oven; preheat to 400°F.
2. If kale is wet, very thoroughly pat dry with a clean kitchen towel; transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle the kale with oil and sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, massage the oil and salt onto the kale leaves to evenly coat. Fill 2 large rimmed baking sheets with a layer of kale, making sure the leaves don’t overlap. (If the kale won’t all fit, make the chips in batches.)
3. Bake until most leaves are crisp, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through, 8 to 12 minutes total. (If baking a batch on just one sheet, start checking after 8 minutes to prevent burning.)

EVALUATION

Taste: 4.8- I messed up and added a little too much salt, and this isn't my favorite version of the recipe, but I love these things. Ease of Preparation (5=easy, 1=difficult): 5- These are very very easy to make, especially if you buy kale which has already been prepared. Practicality: 4.5- There isn't much required for this recipe, and with the recent kale craze there isn't much to acquiring it. The only slight downside is that it doesn't really constitute a full meal. Overall score: 4.8- These are well worth a try, and could be pretty close to perfect with a little modification. And they're healthy!