I thought we could all use this recipe about now….
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Homemade Green Kale Chips with Vegan Cheese
Recipe: Kale Chips
Story: Have you caught Kale Fever yet? Every day I feel like doctors and scientists are sharing more ways this “super food” improves our overall health and wellness. Not only does eating cooked kale lower the risk of several cancers but it also lowers cholesterol levels, contains tons of flavonoids, fiber, calcium and iron, too. Just to name a few of the benefits. We are big, big fans of kale here in the teeny tiny foodie home. My toddler actually starts yelling, “Kale!” when we see it at the farmers market and starts eating it before we’ve even brought it to the register. But I know it can be a pretty scary looking vegetable to many foodies, young and old. This week’s recipe contains all the nutritional goodness that kale has to offer packaged in a way that seems friendly and familiar and will especially appeal to your Little Foodie. What’s not to love about a salty and crunchy treat?
This Week’s Kids in the Kitchen Tip: Kids can help out in the kitchen by helping to prepare fruits and vegetables. They can wash produce either at the sink or using a large bowl filled with water. You can also show your teeny tiny chef how to tear the kale for this recipe or any greens you want to prepare.
Kale Chips
Ingredients:
- ½ pound kale with ribs removed*, washed, dried and torn into 1-inch pieces
- Approximately ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 small pinch of chili powder and garlic powder (optional)
Preparation:
In a large bowl, toss the kale with the olive oil and spices. Mix around so everything is well coated.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the kale into one even layer.
Bake for 20 minutes. Then, toss the leaves around the pan and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until the chips are crispy.
You can store them in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature, but they will lose a bit of their crispiness. They will still taste yummy!
*An easy way to remove the leaves from the rib of kale is to hold the kale upside down by the tip of the stem in one hand. Using your other hand, slide down the stem and the leaves will pop off.
Want to see more about this recipe? Click here.
Additional Tip(s):
Use a raised step stool to get your little one safely at counter height.
Jory Lieber is a food-focused mom and at-home chef raising her baby girl, Eliana, to eat a variety of healthy foods right from the start. When Eliana began to eat solid foods at around 6-7 months of age, she set a goal to cook as much of her food as possible. She uses a variety of flavors, textures and spices, with the intention of creating a teeny tiny foodie who is open to trying new foods.
She’s learned that cooking food for Eliana is only one part of the process of creating a teeny tiny foodie. The other, equally important, part of this process has been her “education” about different concepts around food, such as where food comes from, being part of the cooking process and “playing” with food, to name a few. She’s been using her background in Early Childhood Education to develop appropriate activities and “lessons” to teach to her teeny tiny student. Follow Jory’s adventures in cooking at Teeny Tiny Foodie.