Kale is hot (and in this case crunchy)

Whole Foods has always struck me as a barometer of food fashions. While casual, comfy stores like Sprouts and Sunflower Market satisfy with their straightforward offerings, Whole Foods dazzles with glitz and glam. 

Looking for fancy cheese? Whole Foods has it, even cave-aged cheese. Looking for local produce? Whole Foods has that covered too. How 'bout an apple from Wilcox, only 272 miles from the store, according to their sign. Looking for a hot dinner? Forget about that rotisserie chicken. At Whole Foods you can have beef brisket, smoked in-house. Yes, Whole Foods gives the foodies what they want. And what do they want? Well, in the deli anyway, the answer seems to be kale. 

While drooling over things like portobello mushroom lasagna and orzo salad  today, I spotted no less than four, that's right, four different types of kale salad! Ladies and gentlemen, we are apparently in the midst of a kale craze. I have no idea when or how it began. Maybe it's like how after buying a new car, you suddenly notice that everyone else is driving the same car. I don't know, all I know is that I bought my first ever bunch of kale earlier this week.

Why kale? Well, I've been trying to eat healthier lately and if you don't already know, Kale is a bit of a health nut's wet dream, a "superfood," if you will.  It's high in vitamins, a powerful antioxidant, and has both cancer-fighting and anti-inflammatory properties. Is there anything that this mighty cabbage can't do? Now that's one sexy veggie! But hey, it's still a veggie. That's why I was excited to find a recipe for kale chips. They're salty, wafer-thin, and have a satisfying crunch.


I made the bunch pictured above this morning and they were gone in no time. Just be sure to go easy on the salt. I didn't actually measure mine out and you can taste every grain on such a paper-thin chip. I got the recipe below from Allrecipes.


Baked Kale Chips


Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Remove thick stems from kale and then tear into bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry kale thoroughly. In a bowl, toss kale together with olive oil and salt. 
3. Spread in a single layer on the cookie sheet and bake until edges are brown but not burnt, about 10-15 minutes.

Additional Information
Yields 6 servings. 
Calories: 58  
Total Fat: 2.8 
Cholesterol: 0