Crispy Kale Chips

vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free

Adapted from Angela Liddon's recipe on OhSheGlows.com.

If you love potato chips, you'll love these! Crispy and savory, it's hard to imagine you're eating such a healthy snack. The key to perfect kale chips is a low temperature and longer baking time. This ensures that all the chips bake evenly. If you've ever ended up with half mushy/half burnt kale chips (as I had many times before I discovered this recipe), try this method.

before

after

Ingredients:

• approx. 1/2 bunch kale leaves*
  
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, canola oil or melted coconut oil
• 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast** (optional)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Remove leaves from the stems of the kale and roughly tear them up into large pieces. Discard or compost the stems. Wash and dry the leaves.***
3. Spread out the kale onto the prepared baking sheet into a single layer, being sure not to overcrowd the kale.
4. Drizzle oil over leaves and use fingers to thoroughly coat every nook and cranny.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more until the kale begins to firm up. The kale will look shrunken, but this is normal. The baking time differs from oven to oven and also based on the humidity, so watch your kale closely after 15 minutes.
6. Cool the chips on the sheet for 3 minutes before serving - This helps them firm up even more.****
   

*You can use curly kale (pictured) or Lacinato kale, the blue-green bumpy kind. Lacinato is a little thicker and sturdier.
**Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast with an amazing nutrition profile and a nutty, cheesy flavor. You can leave out the nutritional yeast if you don't have it, but I think the "nooch" actually improves the texture in addition to giving the chips a nice cheesy flavor. Look for nutritional yeast in the bulk bins, baking aisle, or supplements section at your grocery store.
***I dry the kale leaves with a paper towel and then reuse the same dampened paper towel to wipe the oil off my hands. Your kitchen drain will thank you if you do the same!
****These chips don't keep very well (they'll lose their crispiness if covered), so only make what you plan to eat right away. That being said, don't underestimate yourself. I can easily eat an entire baking sheet worth of chips by myself!