Have I mentioned before that Jason is a picky eater? Or perhaps picky isn’t the right word. He just hates every vegetable that isn’t broccoli. He shudders at the mention of peas, brussels sprouts, cabbage, arugula, asparagus, carrots, cauliflower…and especially kale. I’ve made it my personal mission to make kale that he will eat! I think this is as close as I’ve come.
If you’re like me and enjoy kale every now and again, you will love these! Salty, savory, crispy, and full of barbecue flavor.
My 10-year-old sister said “They’re AMAZING!”
My kale-hating husband said “They’re okay I guess…”
I’ll take it.
- 1/2 t. cumin
- 1 t. smoked paprika
- 1 t. brown sugar
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. garlic powder
- 1 t. chili powder
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 10 oz. kale
- 1 T. olive oil
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
- Chop kale into large pieces, removing the center stems. Make sure the kale is completely dry before you season it.
- In a small bowl, sitr together the cumin, paprika, brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and black pepper. Set aside
- Spread the kale in a single layer onto a few baking sheets (or you can bake them in shifts). You don’t want the kale piled up on itself, it needs to be in a nice flat layer to properly crisp.
- Drizzle each pan of kale with a little of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the BBQ seasoning that you set aside. Toss to coat.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the kale is browned and crispy. You can gently flip the pieces over once during the cooking to make sure they don’t brown too much on one side.
- Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate and enjoy!
The seasoning for the kale is basically a good old fashioned dry rub like you would use for meat. I actually made a double batch of the seasoning because I’m having BBQ tofu later in the week! The smoked paprika really puts it over the edge for me and gives the chips that distinctive “barbecue” flavor.
I think kale chips are a really good place to start if you’re new to kale. They really are addictive and SO good for you.
I’m going to go make a little dessert smoothie with some of the kale I have that didn’t make it into chips. I’m trying to fit in veggies any way I can these days!
-Lauren