Easy-Peasy Kale Crisps

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was still refraining from eating meat.  To be completely honest, I genuinely haven’t missed chowing down on a steak or having a plate full of roast chicken.  I was a vegetarian for 15 years and only started eating meat about 5 years ago.  Previously, I relied heavily on frozen vegetarian products and, whilst many of these are great time-savers, I’m more concerned now with trying to eat fresh and clean.

I’m not a good cook – actually that’s an understatement – I’m a pretty dreadful cook.  However, I’m really getting the knack of throwing different veggies and ingredients together into a wok and seeing what transpires.  Recently, I got a little more adventurous and had a go at creating some kale crisps (or chips).  I wanted to share this ‘recipe’ as, if I can mange to make them, I’m pretty sure you guys can!

• To begin with, shred up some kale leaves.  I’d advise you to remove the large stalk parts from the kale leaves as these are quite woody in texture and can taste a bit bitter.  Cover a baking tray with baking parchment or tin foil and then spread the kale leaves out on it.
• You could use olive oil or those spray oils but I’m loving using organic virgin coconut oil at the moment.  This needs to be heated to soften it,  so I melted a tablespoon of it over a low heat and drizzled it over the kale leaves.
• You need to season the kale crisps. I used finely grated sea salt and pepper but you could add chilli flakes or garlic.
• Place the kale crisps in a preheated oven.  Make sure the oven isn’t too hot; I set mine to 150C.
• The kale crisps take about 15-20 minutes to really crisp up.  You do need to check them regularly and give them a bit of a shake to ensure even cooking and distribution of the oil and flavours.  Watch out for the ones on the edges getting cooked too quickly!
• Once cooked, enjoy!  I found they made a great accompaniment to a stir fry but I’m sure they would also make fantastic snack alternative to ordinary crisps.

I’d love to hear from any of you who make these and if you have any flavouring ideas then please do share below!