Crispy kale

I have a confession to make. On occasion, my beloved kale and beans, much as I praise it, gets old. But I need to keep eating my leafy greens, kale is one of the foods with the most nutritional value per calorie, and--most importantly of course--kale is delicious! In those rare, dark times, I turn to a completely different different dish--crispy kale, otherwise known as kale chips. The name “chip” may be a little misleading. Instead of hearty and crunchy like potato chips, these are crispy, airy, and crackly like a dried out leaf. They're about as texturally different as you can get from soupy and tender kale and beans. To make them yourself, just wash and spin dry some kale leaves, toss them in a bowl with a little olive oil to coat (it's fun to use your hands!), and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 till crispy. Don’t let them burn—they should still be green. Once they’re out of the oven, a sprinkling of flaky salt is a delicious finishing touch.

Since you’re pretty much dehydrating the leaves, a big bunch of kale will cook down to a relatively small pile--be prepared to consume lots of kale in one sitting! It’ll be hard to resist. I’m thinking next time, instead of just pouncing on them the second they’re out of the oven, I’ll try using the leaves as a garnish to provide some contrast for a texturally wanting dish.