Hi Everybody!

We wanted to bring you something new this week - a recipe! I don’t know about you, but the kale in our garden is going nuts. That means this is the best time to start making some yummy kale chips.

As you probably know, Becca and I work with EarthBites once a week to bring nutrition into the elementary schools. We were at Lord Kitchener Elementary on Tuesday teaching the Preserve the Harvest module and preparing some yummy kale chips with the kids. (If you want to learn more about the EarthBites school program, you can visit them at earthbites.ca)

I know that making kale chips can be daunting. Am I going to burn them? Are they going to taste like the gross store bought brands? Well, you came to the right place. This recipe couldn’t be easier and it is absolutely delicious! At the elementary school the kids did all the cooking and prepping and we just sat back and watched as they made the most yummy kale chips ever! Each batch came out perfectly. If they can do it, you can do it too!

So here is the recipe! Pay attention to the instructions, because it is the small steps in between that makes and breaks the recipe. This recipe creates enough kale chips for about 3-4 people.

Quick and Easy Kale Chips

1 bunch of Kale (about 4-6 large leaves)

1 tbsp Olive Oil (and no more!)

1 tsp Sea Salt (can use up to a tbsp if you like it salty)

1 tsp nutritional yeast

Instructions

Wash and rise your kale.
De-stem the kale and break into chip sized pieces. (Remember that they will decrease in size in the dehydrator, so make them a bit bigger then you would expect).
Dry your kale. (This step is VERY IMPORTANT! I use paper towel and squeeze them dry - remember that paper towel can be thrown into the green bin so don’t throw them in the garbage! You can also use a regular towel or salad spinner if that is easier for you. If you don’t dry your kale, the oil will lock the moisture in and it will take a lot longer for the kale to dehydrate and you can possibly burn the leaves. So don’t skip this step!)
Drizzle the 1 tbsp of olive oil on top. (Make sure to spread it out and not only pour it in one place. I make the kids take their time with this. If you put too much oil in one place then the leaves will just take longer to dehydrate - so it isn’t a total fail if this happens - but who wants to wait longer for their yummy Kale Chips?!)
Massage the oil into the leaves. (best if done with your hands. Keep massaging until all the leaves are looking darker green, covered in the oil, and small like fresh cut grass - that smell is the chlorophyll, which is very nutritious!)
Sprinkle on the salt and nutritional yeast, massage it in, and lay the leaves out flat onto a dehydrator tray.
Turn your dehydrator on and wait until they are crispy, take them out and enjoy! (We turn our dehydrator to 270 degrees, which is its highest setting, and it takes the chips 30mins to 1 hour to dehydrate. It is different for every dehydrator, so once you have done it once you will know. You can’t really leave them in too long, they will just keep dehydrating, but if you dried your leaves and didn’t use too much oil, then they won’t take longer than a couple hours for sure.)

Note: You can also place them flat onto a baking tray and cook the kale in your convection oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (turning them over once or twice). I recommend using parchment paper if you choose this method. I believe the texture is much better with the dehydrator, but you can achieve the same taste for sure with the oven.

And here they are! The kids absolutely loved them. I hope you enjoy them too!

With Love,

Britte