Kale is King of the vegetable world! But, the thing is you either love it or hate it. If you pressed the “dislike” button on this topic, let’s talk about why this is quite possibly the best vegetable for you to be incorporating into your diet and I’ll share a super easy way to make Kale Chips that might just convert you to be a life member of Kale Camp.
Looking at the nifty graphic I pinned to my Pinterest Let’s Be Healthy Board you will see kale has more iron than beef, more calcium than milk, and 10 times more Vitamin C. So, if you don’t eat beef, or consume much calcium and hate spinach then kale is your new best friend.
The seven benefits of kale are:
- It’s a natural anti-inflammatory with both Omega 3 and 6.
- It helps to remove toxins from the body.
- It’s rich in Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene which counteract the damage from free radicals.
- Contains heart health deluxe! It is shown to lower cholesterol and increase the ratio of healthy cholesterol by 27%.
- It’s a natural source of Folate which promotes healthy infant brain development.
- Contains powerhouse chemicals to prevent cancer cell growth.
- Has Lutein and Zeaxanthin shown to reduce macular generation and cataracts.
Crunchy Kale Chips
I attended a heart healthy cooking class this week and the chef showed us how to make kale chips. I picked up a bag of kale from Trader Joe’s and got to work.
Two tips: Most people say they don’t like kale because it’s tough and chewy. Two things you want to do with your kale — remove the center, thick stem. Second, if you are making a salad you can tenderize your kale by tossing it with your hands and really moving it around with a wooden spoon. This helps to break down the toughness of the greens.
Preheat your oven to 350. Remove the stem from your kale and break the leaves into small pieces. The bagged variety I purchased from Trader Joe’s was already torn into pieces, but I had to do the extra step of removing the stem.
Place kale on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with course salt and pepper. Toss so all the kale pieces are covered with oil and seasoning. Bake for 15-18 minutes. I tossed it mid-way to help bake the chips evenly.
They were crisp and salty and down right yummy! Mr. Bee and I munched on them while we were waiting for dinner to be ready. I only used half the bag of kale and it easily made a cereal bowl full of chips. I think if you made a few batches of this early in the week and stored them in an airtight container you could have a healthy snack for work or between meals. Since they are crunchy it might fulfill that need to have chips with a sandwich which would save you easily 200 calories, 10 grams of fat and 15 carbs from eat potato chips. One cup of kale is only 34 calories and six carbs!
Since March has a green theme with St. Patrick’s Day, here are some links to tasty green food recipes:
- Super Green Goddess Hummus
- Green Detox “bikini ready” smoothie
- Cheesy Kale Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Havarti and Garlic
I know it’s not easy being green, but if Kermit the Frog can rock it — so can you!
I have more than 100 inspiring tips on health and wellness on my Pinterest board here. Be sure to follow the buzz.
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
