Last week we had dinner guests who are vegetarians.  I used this as an opportunity to prepare a dinner that would please all of us meat, and non-meat eaters.  Hunter Pence, currently a baseball player for the S F Giants, talks a lot about his paleo diet and almost always mentions “kale chips”.   All the fancy “gourmand” magazines I like to read, are all a twitter with news about up-scale restaurants serving house-made kale chips, and dipping sauces.  Well there was a bit of learning curve, I cross referenced recipes all over the internet.  But still the first batch was, well awful.  By the 3rd, & 4th they were pretty good.  Keep in mind I like kale cooked like greens, with lots of bacon, a bit of hot red pepper flakes, and vinegar.  Our guest really liked the “Kale Chips” and ask for the recipe, which of course they’ll get from this post.  But the point is I didn’t like them, but I know the recipe is good, if you are buying “Kale Chips”, in a store, then making your own will save you a lot of money, plus you can season them to your own taste.

Kale Chips

• 2-3 bunches local organic kale
• 1-3 teaspoons unrefined sea salt, (Real Salt* is what I use)
• 1-4 teaspoons olive oil (use your best most flavorful, this is a good taste with the kale)
• 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• optional seasonings, granular garlic,  granular onion, or better yet, let your taste buds, and imagination be your guide, just remember a little goes a long ways, because they shrink up a lot.

Clean and devein kale.  The steams are considered un eatable.  After the first couple of batches, I learned it was better to keep the leaves almost whole, which made them easier to turn over.   Dry in a lettuce spinner, or in towels, or both.  I used the spinner, then tea-towels.  Pile about the amount that would cover a baking sheet on the center of a tray.  Sprinkle with olive oil, and toss with your fingers, add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt & spices, and toss again.  Bake in a 250 degree oven, check after 8-10 minutes. Turn a couple over and look for a sort of molted tan spotting, if it’s not there yet continue to cook checking very few minutes.  Carefully turn them over and cook until all the leaves have the molting on both sides.  Serve warm or, cool and store for a few days in an air tight container.  The chips will break easily which is another reason to keep the leaves big, and also it made them easier to turn over.  Once the first batch is done and you are tasting you can adjust the seasoning.  I think it’s very important to use the salt, both for flavor and to soak up moisture, other than that, I would say have fun, use spices you like.  I served these with some of my home-made ketchup and it was a good pairing.  Enjoy  google – k2 unlimited content