Oven Baked Kale Chips over Popcorn
At the farmer's market last week, I found some luscious dark green dinosaur kale. I enjoy kale in salad and sautéed with onions and garlic to top a baked potato. For this quick recipe though, I decided to bake them simply and experience them without any distractions. Kale chips are something I hadn't heard of until about six years ago when a friend had some as a snack at her house. Now when I bake them, my husband and I can eat a whole batch fresh from the oven! This amazing, simple recipe makes a great snack any time of the day or night.
INSTRUCTIONS
1 bunch of kale – I used dinosaur kale, but curly kale works very well too.
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag plain microwave popcorn – no salt or butter added.
Want to make this gluten-free and dairy-free? No need for any adjustments because this is already a dairy and gluten-free recipe.
Make ahead option– The kale chips can be made and kept in a sealed container once they are cool. There's no need to refrigerate these.
The Simple Steps...
1. Preheat the oven to 300º.
2. Wash the kale and dry with a towel. When the kale is completely dry, the oil and salt stick to it. Also, the drier the kale leaves are to start with the faster they will crisp up in the oven.
3. Rip off the hard stems and throw them away. Tear the leaves into 2 inch pieces.
4. Put the torn kale into a large bowl. Toss with the oil and salt making sure all the pieces are coated.
5. Place the kale onto a baking tray in a single layer. Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 8 minutes then stir them to check for crispness. If they are still a little limp, bake for 2 more minutes.
6. Pop the microwave popcorn according to the package instructions. Dump into a medium serving bowl.
7. Once the chips have cooled slightly, crumble two or three hands full over the popcorn.
8. Taste to decide if the popcorn needs more crumbles. Add more if you like the salty goodness of the kale chips. Enjoy immediately!