Hands down, this was one of the most fun and exciting dishes we have made in class. Nobody believed that the huge bowl of ruffly green kale was going to turn into crisp, green dried leaves that crackle when eaten and leave a delicious, toasted taste on the tongue.
Try it and see!
Ingredients
Crispy Kale Chips
- 1 large bunch of fresh curly kale (other types work too) OR 1 bag of fresh kale leaves
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or olive oil spray
- coarse or sea salt, to taste
Low-fat Buttermilk Ranch Dip
- 1 1/3 cups reduced-fat buttermilk
- 2/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
- 2/3 cup nonfat or low-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsely
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (Kosher or sea salt preferred)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Crispy Kale Chips
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak the kale in two changes of water in a large bowl, and dry (can use a salad spinner.) Pull large bite-sized pieces from the stems and tough center ribs; pile in a bowl. Discard stems and ribs. Toss the leaves with the olive oil and salt, and arrange them on the cookie sheets. (OR: simply spray two cookie sheets and put the leaves on them in single layers; spray tops of leaves to coat and sprinkle with salt.)
- Bake for approximately 16-18 minutes or until leaves are crisp to the touch but not too browned. Cool for a few minutes and heap into a bowl.
- Serve plain, or with Ranch Dip, below. Some people also sprinkle grated Parmesan on their chips. You can use chips as a garnish, on top of salads, or crumbled on popcorn. If you have any leftovers, which you probably won’t, store in a zip-lock.
Low-fat Buttermilk Ranch Dip
- Combine first three ingredients with a whisk. Add in the garlic, onion and spices and chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve with Crispy Kale Chips, carrots, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes or other veggie dippers, or with crackers, pretzels or pita chips. Makes a wonderful salad dressing – try in a pita sandwich.
More Information
Adapted from a bunch of recipes on the web.
Print
Email
Subscribe to the newsletter!
You’ll get periodic updates with recipes, Q&A’s with chefs and kid food experts, observations, quizzes and simple activities for your kids — i.e., a fun farmer’s market treasure hunt. Don’t worry – we won’t bombard you with mail or ads.
