Baked kale chips

Back in the dark ages when I earned my keep as a babysitter, I used to sit for one family who were more than a bit on the crunchy granoloa side of things. On my first night on the job, I had the typical tour of the house and learned about emergency phone protocols, bedtime routines and the like. When the tour landed in the kitchen, the mom turned the discussion to snacks.

"The kids can have some chips and juice before bed," she said, pulling a box of corn flakes from the cupboard. "The juice is in the fridge and the cups are above the sink."

"Great," I said. "And where are the chips?"

"Here," she said, pointing to the corn flakes. "We put them in a bowl and tell the kids they're chips. Clever, huh?"

Seriously? I was so flabbergasted I wasn't quite sure what to say, but I knew for sure those kids were getting a raw deal. I completely understand not wanting to feed your kids chips, but if that's how you feel, then don't sugar coat -- or in this case, corn coat -- the situation and pass off one food for another. What about popcorn as a snack? It's not that unhealthy, and at least it's a legitimate snack food and not a breakfast cereal posing as a latenight treat. Can you imagine how peeved those kids must have been when they actually experienced real chips for the first time? Talk about setting up your children not to trust you about anything!

I was reminded of that chip anecdote when I made these kale chips last week. If you read food blogs as I do, then you'll know that baked kale was all the foodie rage a while ago. Everyone was raving about its greatness, and it turns out, it was warranted praise. These chips really do bake into crisp, salty chips that you feel almost guilty snacking on. Now you're never going to be fooled into thinking they're potato chips, but with the crispy texture and salty kick, they are quite tasty. Think more of a seaweedy flavour rather than starch (and I mean that in a good way). Apart from the salt and a trace amount of oil, these chips are good for you too. Why not get some vitamin A and C the next time you snuggle in to watch a movie and fancy a snack?

Here's how the chips look pre-baking, all glisteny with oily goodness. I think you could experiment with different flavoured oils for a slightly different taste.

And after a while in the oven, they come out dehydrated and super crisp. Perhaps not the most attractive snack food you've ever seen, but believe me, they are good. And the bonus is they stayed crispy, covered and uncovered, for several days after they were baked. The chips are pretty fragile once they're baked, so you have to handle them delicately. One recipe I saw suggested crunching up the chips and adding to popcorn. It's a total doubling up of snack foods, but what's wrong with that?

Baked Kale Chips
Adapted from a bunch of inspiring places and found here

1 bunch (about 6 ounces) kale (I used curly kale, but any kind will do. Apparently chard and other greens work well too.)
1 tablespoon olive oil (or enough to coat your leaves lightly)
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.