Kale chips

I have seen various kale chips on other food blogs for years now and never got up the nerve to try them myself, even though they always looked and sounded delicious.

I have ordered cooked kale at a few restaurants in the past, but have only actually tried using kale at home once, when I made an ill-fated green smoothie with it (I found it to be too bitter). Since then, I have been hesistant to use raw kale for anything.

But when I found this bunch of organic kale at Whole Foods for $2.49, I knew it was time to break some new ground.

This bunch came from Lady Moon Farms, which is located in Pennsylvania and ships out from a few places along the East Coast. While it’s not exactly local, it’s at least on my side of the U.S. and I appreciate their commitment to organic farming and the information on organic vegetables which they provide on their website.

I tore a few leaves of the kale into bite-sized pieces and layed it on a cooking sheet. Then I sprayed it with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Then it went into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

I decided to keep it simple for my first attempt!

I also cooked an organic sweet potato in the microwave for about 5 minutes.

Then topped the potato with some leftover pinto beans, which I cooked in my new barbecue sauce!

Then I rounded out the meal with the last slice of homemade whole wheat bread from my in-laws spread with some Smart Balance Light.

The kale chips were so crunchy! I overcooked a few of them, so I think next time I will cut back the cooking time. But I was amazed at how tasty they were. What a great way to get in some healthy greens! I can’t wait to make these again.

I also adored the taste of the Annie’s barbecue sauce. They had a few different flavors to choose from but the Smokey Maple was the most appealing to me so I decided to try it first.

What a deliciously healthy, mostly organic, veggie-filled dinner!

What is one vegetable you are too afraid to try?