It would not be an exaggeration to say that kale is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. By eating one cup of chopped kale, you are getting 9 percent of your daily needs for calcium, 206 percent of your vitamin A, 134 percent of vitamin C and 685 percent (whoa) of your vitamin K needs. Kale provides all this plus copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus for only 33 calories per cup. These crunchy kale chips make an excellent snack by themselves, and also crumble into a tasty seasoning. Stir a handful of the chips into half a cup of cottage cheese to make a delicious, protein-rich dip for vegetables. For more healthy snack ideas, see the original article, Healthy Convenience Foods: Quick-Fix and Make-Ahead Snacks.
Baked Lemon-Kale Chips Recipe
• 1 large bunch fresh kale
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice and zest of one lemon
• 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Few twists freshly ground black pepper
• One dash each cayenne and garlic powder (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Trim thick stems out of kale. Chop remaining strips into bite-size pieces.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together oil, lemon juice, zest and seasonings. Toss kale in mixture and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Spread out marinated kale in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Let cool and store in an airtight container.