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Saturday, December 10, 2011

Together at the Table: A New Winter Snack

by Meredith Blanks Paterson

Today I want to tell you about my rather unholy obsession with... dun dun dun... kale. I love it. I used to hate it, but that was because I didn't know how to prepare it. It can be a finicky little green, but when it's treated well, it becomes so tasty, and I can feel it healing my body. I'm actually craving it daily now.

My latest trick-- you may be far ahead of me on this-- is kale chips. Kids will love helping out with these! There is a very special moment when the kale actually changes color in this recipe.

There are lots of great recipe variations out there. Experiment with different seasonings and let me know what you come up with.

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or less--to taste)

Supplies:
cookie sheet
parchment paper (optional)
large bowl
salad spinner (optional, but very helpful)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Kid-friendly: Wash the kale thoroughly. Separate the leaves from the tough stems.  Kids will love ripping the leaves off. I like to save the stems for juicing or to put in long-cooking soups when they'll have time to soften substantially.
  3. Kid-friendly: Dry the leaves in a salad spinner and/or with towels. They need to be really dry. Kids are the perfect salad spinning assistants.
  4. Kid-friendly: Put the dry leaves in a big bowl and take a picture (mental or with a camera). Pour in the olive oil and use your hands to mix the oil and leaves. Notice how the leaves turn a beautiful bright green when they've been massaged.
  5. Kid-friendly: Spread the leaves out in a single layer on the cookie sheet. You may have two batches, depending on the size of your kale bunch.
  6. Kid-friendly: Sprinkle with salt.
  7. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. I suggest checking after 8 minutes. The aim is for crispy but not brown or burnt.
  8. Let them cool and enjoy them with your favorite holiday movie! (Perfect popcorn replacement!)
(vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, soy-free)


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