Spring has finally arrived and with it lots of fresh new greens and other delicious foods are coming into season. We’ve got one more Winter Farmers’ Market in Exeter and we are featuring Spring Greens this Saturday! It can sometimes be difficult to turn friends onto new foods, especially dark leafy greens. We’ll have lots of great ideas and recipes at the market, with a cooking demo showcasing fresh greens from the market. One of my favorite and easy snacks that can help convince even the biggest healthy food skeptic is Kale chips. They are quick and easy to make, can be seasoned to your liking and are still packed full of healthy nutrients.
Kale Chips
1 large bunch kale
few pinches sea salt
~1 tsp oil
pinch red pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prep your kale by cutting or tearing out the midstem, collecting the leaves in a large bowl. The curly leaf kale always works best for me as its structure supports the leaf while drying out in the oven. I remove the midstem because it cooks so much slower than the leaf. If you take the chips out before the leaves burn the stem will remain chewy and soften any kale chips that don’t get eaten immediately.
After the stems have been removed drizzle oil over the leaves. I used sunflower oil locally made and available at the winter market! I have a nice hand pump oil mister that lets me get a really light even coat. You don’t want the leaves dripping with oil. After a light mix with the oil you can season to your liking. I used Maine Sea Salt and Chili Powder from the market but you can try any number of combinations.
Spread out the kale on a baking sheet with parchment paper. To ensure even crispness, make sure the kale isn’t stacked on top of itself. Pop the sheet into the oven and bake between 10-15 minutes. Check around 10 minutes to move around chips and test crispness. Once crisp remove from oven, let cool and enjoy!
If you’re like me, the kale chips quickly become a snack time staple. Why not try growing a few of your own this year? Stop by the Seacoast Eat Local table to buy seeds to plant a salad and snack garden in your backyard or just in a pot in the window!