Garlic Kale Chips

Truth be told, I've always been more of a 'quantity over quality' girl when it comes to snacks and mealtime. I would rather find a way to stretch my morning protein pancake with a little canned pumpkin, even if it means sacrificing texture, just so I can have more to eat in the morning. And I will gladly eat an entire head of steamed broccoli over a small portion of broccoli with cheese 90% of the time. Can anyone relate?

Joey and I rarely have chips or other junk food on hand except for those few boxes of Girl Scout cookies right now. So when I get a craving for something crunchy and salty, I typically have to improvise with what we have on hand.  And while I may be a little late to the game with these crispy baked Garlic Kale Chips, if you are late to the game like me, I would highly recommend you making them asap. Not only are they crunchy, salty and entirely addictive, they also deliver all the vitamin-packed goodness of kale.

My first attempt at Kale chips was anything but a success. I made the mistake of leaving the tough stems in the center of the kale intact. If you're into that sort of stringy texture, then feel free to leave the stems going through the center of the leaves. But if you're anything like me, I would recommend cutting the ruffled leaves of the kale off the stem and discarding the rest.

I ate the entire batch in one serving. But if you're slightly less greedy than I am with your kale, it could easily be a side dish for two or three people.

Garlic Kale Chips
Ingredients
*3 to 4 cups kale leaves, cut into pieces with stems removed and discarded
*1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
*2 tsp. Garlic Gold or 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
*2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
*Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside.
*In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and Garlic Gold. Spread kale in an even layer on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper.
*Bake for 11 to 15 minutes, or until kale is crunchy and has a slightly charred appearance, tossing once halfway through baking. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Madison

Roasted Parmesan Zucchini

Last week while teaching a class on healthy cooking, a number of the women in the class were interested in learning exactly how you roast vegetables, which is actually incredibly easy once you get down the basics. In my opinion, there is no better, or easier, way to cook veggies.

Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, and sweet potatoes get roasted most often in my kitchen, and I can't get enough of the sweet, toasty flavor roasting imparts on vegetables. Roasting is usually done with fairly dry heat with just a bit of oil or other liquid in a pan, baking sheet, or baking dish or some sort. It can also be done at a slightly higher heat in the oven. Most of the time when I'm roasting veggies, it's done between 400 - 450*F.

As we speak, I'm posting from Florida. Meant to post this a few days earlier, but was having so much fun in the sun and sand that I completely forgot! Back to regular life tomorrow.


Roasted Parmesan Zucchini
Ingredients
*2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
*1 Tbsp. olive oil
*1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp. table salt)
*1/2 tsp. ground cumin
*1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
*1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
*Preheat oven to 400*F.
*Toss zucchini with olive oil. Place in a pan or baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, cumin, and black pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes, tossing once half way through. After 10 minutes, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the zucchini and bake 2 minutes more to melt the cheese.
*Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Happy Cooking!

Madison