Self-confessed carb addict here.
I love them all. French fries, crackers of every kind, buttery popcorn, chips, Goldfish (Brad thinks I'm weird about this one, but I can eat a whole box in one sitting), you name it. I'm especially bad while sitting at the computer for hours on endsurfing Pinterest doing homework.
For the past few weeks, I've been trying to limit my carbs by replacing them with healthier alternatives. I'm not usually one to venture out very far when it comes to cooking. I don't like to do it, and it takes time I'd rather devote to other more interesting things (see above--but my recipe pins are scarce). One thing I have heard about is kale chips, and I thought it might be something worth trying.
After finding this recipe, I threw caution to the wind and decided to try it a few times.
I followed the directions, removed the big stem pieces, poured some (a very scientific measurement) olive oil on the tray, tossed the kale pieces, lightly salted them, and put them in the oven.
Here is where my own experimenting comes in. The recipe warned about burned chips and also advised turning the tray halfway through the 25 minute baking time. I have a convection oven, so I shortened the baking time and set the timer to remind me to turn the tray at 10 minutes. At ten minutes, the kale looked pretty chippy, so I took the sheet out. They were done--and a few had that burned taste that she had warned about. Also, I was surprised how "some" was too much oil.
For my second batch the next day, I once again removed the stems, added "a little" (much less than some") oil to the tray, tossed and salted the pieces, and placed them in the 300* convection oven. In 9 minutes, they were done. Much less oily this time.
My review:
Hmmmm. Well, I figure that an entire tray of kale chips only has about 180 calories, so that's pretty good. It's two servings of veggies, so if you're trying to cram a few more greens into your day, this is a good way to do it. Also, it takes no time to make this snack--just the time to warm up the oven and 9 minutes to bake. They are ready to eat almost straight out of the oven.
As far as taste goes--well . . . in all honesty, they taste like salted parsley flakes. The blog site gives options for flavor, and I might try them, but . . . probably not. I would much rather drink a V8 for my veggies.
All in all, not really a failed experiment, but I don't know if I'll do this again. In a moment of carb-induced delirium I may be forced into this corner again. I'll let you know.
If any of you have tried and loved kale chips and have any suggestions I should try, I'd love to hear.
And just a quick housekeeping note:
I've been receiving 30-50 spam comments every day this week, and as much as I hate to do it, I'm changing my comment settings to require a password. Hope it's not too much trouble for the four of you that routinely comment. Thanks.
I love them all. French fries, crackers of every kind, buttery popcorn, chips, Goldfish (Brad thinks I'm weird about this one, but I can eat a whole box in one sitting), you name it. I'm especially bad while sitting at the computer for hours on end
For the past few weeks, I've been trying to limit my carbs by replacing them with healthier alternatives. I'm not usually one to venture out very far when it comes to cooking. I don't like to do it, and it takes time I'd rather devote to other more interesting things (see above--but my recipe pins are scarce). One thing I have heard about is kale chips, and I thought it might be something worth trying.
After finding this recipe, I threw caution to the wind and decided to try it a few times.
Here is where my own experimenting comes in. The recipe warned about burned chips and also advised turning the tray halfway through the 25 minute baking time. I have a convection oven, so I shortened the baking time and set the timer to remind me to turn the tray at 10 minutes. At ten minutes, the kale looked pretty chippy, so I took the sheet out. They were done--and a few had that burned taste that she had warned about. Also, I was surprised how "some" was too much oil.
My review:
Hmmmm. Well, I figure that an entire tray of kale chips only has about 180 calories, so that's pretty good. It's two servings of veggies, so if you're trying to cram a few more greens into your day, this is a good way to do it. Also, it takes no time to make this snack--just the time to warm up the oven and 9 minutes to bake. They are ready to eat almost straight out of the oven.
As far as taste goes--well . . . in all honesty, they taste like salted parsley flakes. The blog site gives options for flavor, and I might try them, but . . . probably not. I would much rather drink a V8 for my veggies.
All in all, not really a failed experiment, but I don't know if I'll do this again. In a moment of carb-induced delirium I may be forced into this corner again. I'll let you know.
If any of you have tried and loved kale chips and have any suggestions I should try, I'd love to hear.
And just a quick housekeeping note:
I've been receiving 30-50 spam comments every day this week, and as much as I hate to do it, I'm changing my comment settings to require a password. Hope it's not too much trouble for the four of you that routinely comment. Thanks.
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ReplyDeleteI had a kale experiment of my own. I had heard that it was very good for treating my arthritis symptoms. Juicing was supposedly the best way to go about getting it. Yeah...no. I have liked it soups but in no other way. It looks so pretty! I wish that it tasted that good. :)
ReplyDeleteExcited to see you guys next week!!
I tried the "put kale in a smoothie....you won't even know it's there!" claim. Ummm, yes, I could absolutely tell it was there, and it wasn't pleasant! But I do add spinach to my smoothies every morning, and you REALLY don't even know it's there! :)
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the kale chips. That was about my same summary when I made them. And I really wonder how much nutrition is left when they are baked like that.
ReplyDeleteIt seems odd to take something you would not normally eat and try to make it like some other food. What veggies do you like? Do you like them raw or cooked? A kale chip will not replace the potato chip or the corn chip or the sweet potato chip. It's not starchy. Cooking seems a great deal of effort to get a snack. I try two or three new fruits or veggies a year. I couldn't figure out to prepare kale. I don't think it cooked it long enough? Why not try a different cooking method if you want to give kale a fair shake?
ReplyDelete