eat your veggies soup ( and using up your veggies)

Spring is here, but a little too cold to put out new herb plants - though I found my fresh parsley and dill in a very overcrowded vegetable drawer, eureka!  My New England background scolded me to "use it up",  - and so this soup was born.  I had kale, parsley, baby potatoes, broccoli, celery, and onions, which always seem to get soft too fast in the dark cupboard.  All of the veggies were nice and fresh.

To my great surprise, it was really delicious, so this off-the-cuff recipe stays in my files - it's definitely a keeper!

This is a beautiful rhubarb plant - but did you know the leaves are poisonous? Trim the leaves off from the red stems and throw the leaves in the trash - I never even put them in the compost bin.  I caught Izzie about to pick some because she thought it was kale!

Eat your veggies soup

2-3 baby potatoes. halved
1 cup firmly packed kale, leaves only, torn
1/4 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup chopped broccoli, no stems
1/2 cup sliced celery
a few sprigs of dill
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon roasted chicken base or bouillon cube.  

Place the vegetables, thyme, dill, and bouillon paste in a large saucepan.  Add water halfway up the pot.  Bring water to a boil, turn down, and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium.

Remove from heat and blend in blender, adding small amounts of water if needed.
Taste and add salt and pepper before serving.  

Let me know about your veggie drawer clean out recipes!

white bean and vegetable soup (with lots of herbs)

It's been frigid weather in Minnesota !  I met a dear friend in Minneapolis on Sunday from my home town in New Hampshire  - which was a delightful homecoming.  Nothing like hugs and conversation with an old friend, right?

When I came home, I was frozen and in need of something delicious, something herby and chock full of vegetables and herbs - and came up with this comfortable and delicious chowder, of sorts, which didn't need grated cheese, or sour cream, or anything extra, besides the fresh vegetables and a generous hand with herbs.  Heaven!    Though I do think some homemade bread would've been a real treat.

To make enough for 2 people:

1 large white potato, cubed (about a cup +)
1 carrot,peeled and cut into half moons (about 1/2 cup)
1 diced white onion (about 1/2 cup)
3 cups water
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
a bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1 cup packed torn kale
1 can, drained, cannellini beans , 15.5 oz can
1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes

1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 t. dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil (I like California olive oil)
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring the stock, water, bay leaf, garlic, and butter to a simmer.  Add the potato, carrot and white onion and simmer until they are tender.

Add the kale, beans and tomatoes to the vegetables and simmer, then add the herbs and olive oil, salt, and pepper. Take off heat and let the soup sit for about 15 minutes.

Serve with cheese, fresh bread, and a green salad, if you wish.

I got festive the other night and decorated one of my windows - sparkly!

Hope your day is wonderful!

kale, scallion and sharp cheddar frittata

I think the biggest change going from a solitary, rural living situation, to living in a city with a blended family of grown children and grandchildren is cooking.  Gluten-free and vegetarian, and sometimes vegan meals have to be considered, so I was overjoyed when I found this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen which, for now, everyone can eat.  She calls it an egg bake, I call it delicious, and the boys call it a frittata.  We primarily use Cabot's Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese, so I used that instead of mozzarella.  I added a few more eggs, because the egg mixture seemed a little scanty in the baking dish, but most of the recipe is Kalyn's.  (I also used a lower baking temperature because it's my habit when cooking eggs.)  And her addition of Spike as a seasoning was delicious, rather than my usual kosher salt, pepper, and dried or fresh herbs.  Total winner, all around.

kale, scallion, and cheddar frittata:

1 medium bunch fresh kale, stripped from stems and sliced - when I measured it came to      4 cups packed raw kale

2 tablespoons sweet olive oil or soft butter (for the dish)

1 1/2 - 2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

4 scallions (green onions) sliced

10 large eggs

1 teaspoon Spike seasoning

(optional: 2 teaspoons fresh minced dill)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Use your fingers to butter or oil a glass baking dish - mine was 9x13 inches.

Briefly cook the kale in a few inches of water until wilted.  Drain and set aside.

In a mixer bowl, add the eggs and beat briefly, then add the scallions, Spike seasoning, dill, and cheese.  Fold in the drained kale.

Pour the mixture into the dish, patting in evenly with your (clean) fingers or a spatula.

Bake for 30 minutes, remove to cool before cutting into squares.

                                 

One surprising thing about Minneapolis are the wild squirrels and bunny rabbits - they are everywhere, eating bushes and gardens.  I wondered why there were so many hostas here - it's one of the few things they don't eat.  I saw this little fellow leap up and cross to the house next door along the fence two feet away from me.  Bold little critters!

wilted kale with garlic and kidney beans

How can it be October 27th already?  Autumn in Minneapolis is mild - most days I wear a vest as I walk around the neighborhoods, and the trees are very slowly turning color.  There have been a few chilly mornings, but no frost or bitter winds - quite a change from New Hampshire, when I would be rushing out to cover my herbs and flowers with a sheet on cold nights. 

And leaves might be falling, but in Minneapolis people keep their green lawns leaf free and tidy, while giant trucks vacuum up the side streets.  Pumpkins by the front doors, and still- blooming flowers make for a very pretty walk to the stores.

Since I'm home, I've been making more meals for the family:  hasty lunch box meals for the three grandchildren (2, 5, and 9) and healthy supper menus.  Izzie follows a mostly gluten-free diet, Frankie is picky, and Noah, the baby, tastes everything.  He's the one that chooses stinky French cheeses at the Co-op:)   When I made this kale last night, he ate some, then promptly finished off the rest on the platter.  I love it because it cooks so quickly but still retains its kale flavor, unlike spinach.  I added a handful or two of cooked kidney beans, because they pair so well together in my Portuguese kale soup.  

wilted kale with garlic and kidney beans

4 cups kale, torn from stems

1/2 cup water (more if needed)

1 peeled garlic clove

3/4 cup canned kidney beans, drained

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

a sprinkle of hot pepper flakes or hot sauce

Place the water in the pot, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Cover and cook on high heat just until wilted, stirring constantly.

Drain if needed, sprinkle with kosher salt,  and serve at once.

Anni's kale salad with breadcrumbs and garlic

Thursdays are CSA pickup days around here, and after struggling to empty the fridge before the next box,  we're finally getting the hang of it.  As soon as we got home, my daughter-in-law Anni whipped together this wildly popular minced kale salad.  I've seen recipes for it, but thought I wouldn't like it.   Boy, was I wrong!  

The last cup of this went out the door this morning in my daughter's lunch box, but I had scribbled down the off-the-cuff recipe last night, thankfully.  Looking in the fridge, there was just enough tuscan (aka dino ) kale left for half a recipe, so here it is:


Anni's Kale Salad

2 slices wholegrain bread, toasted, cooled, and whizzed into breadcrumbs
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
kosher salt to taste
3-4 cups of kale, stripped from stems, then minced.  It should measure between 1 and a half to  2 cups minced kale.  There was a stray stem of yellow rainbow chard in there:)
1 or 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (optional)
about a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice


Heat the oil in a pan on low, then add the minced garlic.  Cook a few minutes, then add the breadcrumbs and stir until crumbs are lightly browned.  Remove from heat.

Place the minced kale in a bowl, then add the breadcrumbs and massage the kale for a few minutes.  Add the parmesan, if using (I skipped it).  Sprinkle the lemon juice over, toss, and serve.

It's been hot in Minneapolis, so I haven't been exploring as much, but I do notice these beautiful orange flowers everywhere - if you know what they are, I'd love to know!  We did go to The Mall of America.  I'm not much of a shopper, but loved the Lego world display, where this enormous dragon peered down at us from the second story.  Hope your summer is going swimmingly!

busy day chicken soup with greens and pasta

What a wild morning!  When I woke up, the rain was pouring, a soft wind blowing, trees shaking and waving, the dark clouds racing across the sky towards the coast.  Two hours later the sun came out and all that is left of the storm is a pretty carpet of leaves in the front yard.

Busy day, busy day!  Articles to write, pictures to take, recipes to double check.  As I was making one dough, and wrapping another for the fridge, I saw the leftover chicken, the lovely fresh kale, the herbs in the drawer still (surprisingly) firm and green. Which gave me an idea.

I pulled out a pot, and, in between mixing and measuring the tart and pie dough, quickly washed and trimmed and cut and tore the vegetables and the chicken, into the pot.  In with the stock, the sprig of rosemary, and last of all the pasta bubbling away.  This was the easiest lunch to pull together in some chaos of sorts, and I'm grateful to sit down to a big bowl of it in a half hour.


Busy Day Chicken soup with greens and pasta

2 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup sliced scallions (green onions)
1/2 cup Italian parsley, rough chop
1 cup sliced celery
1 teaspoon thyme
pinch hot pepper flakes if desired
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 or 2 cups leftover cooked chicken, cut in chunks
3/4 cup macaroni or small pasta.  I used large ditali from Italy

1 cup packed torn kale greens, set aside to add at the very end

bring the water and stock to a rolling simmer and add everything but the pasta/macaroni and the kale.
Simmer fifteen minutes, then add the pasta.  Cook until pasta is soft, take off heat, and stir in the torn kale.  Taste for seasoning and serve with bread and curls of parmesan cheese, if you want. (which I definitely wanted!)

Have a wonderful day!

Great Northern bean soup with kale, tomatoes, oregano and cumin

While Sunday was what we call "that holy moment" - that day when the temperature is still warm, but the leaves are turning bright orange in the sunshine - Monday was chilly and damp, and that brilliant light was gone.  No matter, it was a perfect day for this hearty soup.  

In the past, I've made this with lentils, but that bag of Great Northern beans (similar to cannellini beans, but larger) was too enticing to ignore.  Instead of soaking the beans overnight, I put them in a pot covered with water, bring just to a simmer, then take off the heat to soak several hours.  Then I drain the beans, rinse cold water over them, and put them back in the pot to proceed with the recipe.  They do seem to keep their shape well using this method, instead of turning mushy too quickly.  I also avoid adding salt to the beans until they're cooked, which can toughen the beans.

Prepare 2 cups dry Great Northern beans as above.  Place the plumped beans in a stockpot and cover with half water, half chicken or vegetable stock.

Add to the plumped beans:

1 teaspoon dried or fresh oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch hot pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
1 1/2 cups canned plum tomatoes, cut up, with the juices
1 clove garlic, minced


5-6 cups torn kale greens, no stems.  The kale is added just before serving, so set aside.

Simmer the herbs, onion, olive oil/butter, garlic, beans and tomatoes until the beans are soft, adding more water or stock if needed to keep the beans covered.

Taste the soup for seasonings and add kosher salt to taste.

Just before serving, turn off the heat and stir in the torn kale. Cover the pot for a few minutes, then serve the soup in big bowls, with a nice crusty bread and some sweet butter.

Enjoy these beautiful days!

braised kale and broccoli with feta and olives

I'm embarrassed to say I have forgotten where I found this recipe, but the second I saw it, I was sure it was something I would love.  I am a huge fan of kale, but not raw kale, and lately there are so many recipes for that.  Not me - I love kale in my favorite kale recipe ever, Portuguese Kale Soup ,with potatoes, linguica ( a Portuguese sausage common on the Outer Cape), and tomatoes.  And I often make whipped potatoes with cooked kale, just for the greenery and the knowledge I am, hopefully, making a healthy meal.

But this combination knocked me out.  I also love broccoli, and feta, and olives, for heaven's sake, so how could it go wrong?

I have now made this three times - I have had it for brunch, breakfast AND supper, and it was so pleasing every single time.  You really need to make this, my friends.  It will be on your menu for years, and will never disappoint.

Braised kale and broccoli with feta and olives

Lightly braised in olive oil, the kale and broccoli are cooked until just tender, then tossed with salty feta and pitted Kalamata olives.  A wonderful side dish for Thanksgiving, or a chilly autumn supper or brunch, the recipe is easily halved.

To make about 6- 8 servings:

4-5 cups broccoli florets

10 cups torn kale leaves, slightly packed, stems discarded

4 tablespoons mild olive oil

about 1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

4 ounces cubed or crumbled feta cheese

Place the olive oil and the water in a large heavy skillet, adjust heat to medium, then add the broccoli florets and stir.  Cook for 6 minutes or so, stirring a few times, until just tender.

Add the kale and stir gently, then cover the skillet for 5 minutes.  Uncover, stir, and  remove from heat.

Add the olives and feta while the greens are still warm, tossing gently before serving.

I promise you, you will love it.

And that beautiful sunflower?  In memory of a wonderful woman, Pat Fairchild, who died recently.  Her  fellow gardeners planted a beautiful garden for her outside the post office, with towering , sunny sunflowers even taller than she was.  We all miss her marvelous spirit, and her feisty, loving personality.  What a woman.

Enjoy the last days of summer!  

Focaccia with braised onions and anchovies, or kale, potato, and linguica

Forgive me for my absence - I have been obsessed with focaccia lately.  Well, that and the fact that Spring has sprung.  And that I have a new grand-baby.  And the joy that today is the start of the month of May.

Living in New Hampshire means long, cold winters, and by March and April we are so done with cold, and snow, and ice, and sleet - not to mention fuel bills, that by the first glimpse of bare ground and signs of the earth thawing, we go a little bananas.  We want more.  We cheer the daffodils poking through the dirt.  We cheer sugaring season.  We cheer the first night we don't wear two layers outside.

I have packed away my fleece sweatpants, worn nightly since December. I cheer the slow progress of the thermometer rising slowly, from -15 to a tropical 60 degrees.  And I get inventive with supper, first making a strongly flavored anchovy focaccia sprinkled with rosemary, then sliding toward a more acceptable (to those who didn't grow up with fish of any sort, from cod to smoked salmon and pickled herring , shad roe to sardines, which we had growing up on the Cape) kale, potato, and linguica ( a Portuguese sausage that is delectable) focaccia that was an instant hit.  

I use a recipe from Nick Malgieri's cookbook, The Modern Baker.  He has a distinctive way of making the dough (seen here) that makes a tender crust that is simply delicious.  I cut the recipe in half for a small focaccia for two or three.  

The focaccia dough:

2 cups King Arthur flour, all purpose
1 t. kosher salt
1 heaping teaspoon dried rapid-rise yeast
3/4 cup warm water plus a few tablespoons warm water if needed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the flour and salt in a heat proof ceramic bowl.
Whisk the yeast into the warm water, then add the olive oil.
Using a rubber spatula, make a well in the flour and pour in the liquid.
Stir the liquid into the flour from the center in a circular motion, from inside to outside.
If the dough is too dry, add another tablespoon or two of water to the dough until it forms a soft ball.

Add a bit of olive oil to the bowl and roll the dough gently around , then cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Briefly ( about three minutes)  preheat oven to 250F, turn off heat, and place bowl in oven until doubled in bulk - about an hour.

Grease a cookie sheet/jellyroll pan with olive oil and scrape dough into pan.  Gently pat and spread the dough with your fingers and palms, shaping a free form oblong shape.  Cover with oiled plastic wrap, and set back into the barely warm oven, letting it rise until doubled.

Remove the dough from the oven, turn heat to 400F.  Dimple the dough with your fingertips and drizzle with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

Toppings:

Braised Onion and Anchovy topping:

1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 T. olive oil
1/2 tin anchovy fillets in olive oil 
rosemary or oregano to taste
1 t. kosher salt
1/2-1 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese

On slow heat in a skillet, braise the onions in the olive oil until very soft.  Stir in the anchovies and herbs.  Spread onto the focaccia dough and top with the parmesan.  Bake for 20 minutes, remove to cool.  Cut into squares and serve.


For the kale, potato, and linguica topping:

2 cups kale, torn off the stem
2 red potatoes, medium dice
4 tablespoons salsa ( I use Green Mountain Gringo)
1/2 package linguica, sliced or diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
Hefty drizzle of olive oil
1-2 t. kosher salt

 In large saucepan, simmer the potato in just enough water to cover until it is just tender.  Add the linguica and cook 10 minutes, then add the kale, cover, and cook until just wilted.  Using a spoon, spread the salsa sparingly on the dough.  Strain the potatoes, kale, and linguica,  and arrange on the dough then drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake in preheated 400F oven for 20 minutes, remove, cool, serve.

Happy Spring!

turkey leg soup with kale

A cold, gray day again, but right in the middle of the day, an hour of fat snowflakes lazily floating down - against the gray sky it looked like a children's book illustration - for Christmas.   But I'll take a few moments of pretty anywhere I can find them.

I was seized by a new book by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas ( who lives in the town next to me), so instead of baking today, I made a lovely turkey soup with a fat fresh leg the meat man had saved for me.  Turkey legs are hard to find this time of year, so I had a standing order with two butchers around here - and one came through for me a few days ago.  I like to do a long simmer for stock and then make up a hearty, colorful soup with carrots and kale and the shredded dark turkey meat.  

Somewhere on Pinterest I saw that turkey topped the chart for lowest in fat and highest in protein - if I find it, I'll pass it along.  I like it better than chicken because the flavor is heartier and less bland , somehow having more substance than chicken.  This is a good soup to make on a lazy at-home day, which today happily was for me.

For the stock:

One large turkey leg & thigh

water to cover

4 peeled carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled but whole

1 t. thyme

3 sprigs rosemary

1 bay leaf

Place all ingredients in a stockpot and barely cover with water.  Simmer, uncovered, for about an hour.

When cooled a little, remove turkey to a plate to cool further, then use two forks to pull the meat off the bone.  It's up to you, but I like bite size chunks of about two inches.  Discard any skin or little bones.  Strain the stock through a colander into a large pot, discarding the vegetables.  Taste the stock, and if it seems watery in flavor, simply simmer it a little longer before adding the soup makings.  Rinse out the stockpot you used for making the stock,  add the ingredients, then pour the stock to cover plus a few inches.  If you have stock left over, let it cool and then freeze.

For the soup:

3 cups shredded or cut up turkey meat

4 large peeled carrots, sliced

4 stalks celery, sliced in fairly large pieces

kosher salt and pepper to taste

pinch hot pepper flakes (optional)

4 cups kale, torn into medium sized pieces, stalks discarded

Optional:  pasta or rice can be cooked along with the soup if wished.  I don't wish.

Simmer all until the carrots are tender.  Taste for seasoning and enjoy!

Portuguese Kale Soup

I grew up on what's known as the Outer Cape on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  I lived on Bound Brook Island in Wellfleet with my father and first one, then another stepmother, and with my mother and stepfather in Truro, in a delightful little cottage where I spent many happy hours either on the beach, fifteen minutes away on the bay, or waiting for my stepfather's boat to come in with the rest of the Provincetown fishing fleet.  Whether Wellfleet or Provincetown, I loved sitting on the wharf, listening to the seagulls and the rumble of the boats as they came in.  I ate a lot of very fresh fish ( which made me very picky about my fish forever), and lots of Portuguese Kale Soup - a Cape Codder's version of chicken soup.  There was a large population of Portuguese in Provincetown, and my stepfather and his family were very much part of it.  Kale soup was on every menu in early Provincetown restaurants, and I have to assume all my parents were all adept at their own versions, because for me, it is home.  

Kale soup is centered around a traditional Portuguese pork sausage known as linguica.  It has hints of tomato, and spices, but it's not nearly as hot as chorizo, another Portuguese sausage, often too spicy for my taste.  The best linguica comes from Gaspar's, available, thankfully, even here in New Hampshire at Shaw's supermarkets.  It's packaged as a coil, much as kielbasa, sometimes as small sausages or crumbled, but the large coil is by far the most flavorful.  Most packets run a little over or under a pound.  if you can't find Gaspar's linguica, you can substitute a thick slice of smoked ham.

This recipe makes about 8 bowls of soup, which freezes very well.

You will need:

1 medium chopped onion
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 T. olive oil
3 cups ( about 1 lb) linguica, uncoiled, cut into 5 inch lengths, then quartered lengthwise and cut into a large dice
4-5 medium red skinned potatoes, skin on, cut in large dice
hefty pinch red pepper flakes
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water, more or less
2 cups diced plum tomatoes, canned, along with their juices
6+ cups packed torn kale leaves, stems discarded
1/2 t. dried thyme
2 T. unsalted butter, stirred in at the end, optional
1 can cannellini or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed, stirred in at the end
3 T. good salsa , hot or not, stirred in at the end
salt and pepper to taste ( light on the salt, as it seems saltier as it sits)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat.  Add the onion and garlic and stir, cook for 5 minutes.
Add the linguica, the potatoes, the red pepper flakes, and the chicken stock and water and simmer until the potatoes are tender - about 25 minutes.
Add the kale and the diced tomatoes, thyme, and beans and cook another 20 minutes.
Add the red wine vinegar.
Stir in the salsa and optional butter and take off heat.  Let sit a bit before serving with good crusty bread and butter.

More kale soup recipes:

Sausage and Kale Soup
Caldo Verde:  Portuguese Potato Kale Soup

kale with green olives and lemon slices

.

I'm going green .  Green for lazy moments under the canopy of leafy trees, for walks on mossy trails , for buying armloads of leafy greens and actually using them, instead of forgetting they're in the vegetable drawer.

I'm starting the day with a glass of juiced veg: dark, rich, delicious, clean.  Well, it's sometimes not delicious, as in when I put too much kale in the blend.  A little raw kale goes a long way in a smoothie.  But slightly cooked?  Amazing. I had this for a late breakfast today, and it was a wonderful change from frittatas and omelets.

It's funny how cooking goes.  Sometimes you just look at an ingredient and know instinctively what would mesh well with the flavors.  This morning, it was green olives, unfortunately not pitted, but so, so good.  A little olive oil, salt and pepper, and thin slices of lemon rounded it out.  


~ kale with green olives and lemon slices ~


about 3 cups torn, packed kale ( I usually throw in some of the stems because they're so full of kale-flavor)

about 3/4 cup water

10 large green olives, pitted or not

4 thin slices lemon

2 T. olive oil ( I used extra-virgin)

salt and fresh pepper

Add all to a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a simmer.

Cook gently, covered, for ten minutes.

Enjoy alone or with a nice poached egg on top.

sunday soup day

A welcome chill in the air means one thing to me: Portuguese Kale Soup! I'm heading out for the Sunday papers and a long walk and then my favorite soup for lunch. Enjoy your Sunday ♥

my kale marathon and kale chips

I pass these lovely sheep every day, and finally stopped to visit with them. They're in their summer quarters, showing up sometime around Memorial Day, and leaving just after Halloween. They were very curious and gentle, although this fellow was clearly the boss man, and kept his distance. It is a wonderful blessing to run into all manner of creatures in a small rural town, ranging from chickens in the middle of the road on Main Street, to merry little bell ringing horses and carts.

~

A few days ago I bought one of those huge bundles of fresh kale at the market and promised myself I'd use it up before it got old and yellow, so this morning I went to work. Kale and white bean soup, blanched kale for freezing, and finally, a bowlful of kale chips. I must be the last blogger to make them, and I am grateful to Kalyn's Kitchen for general directions. Now you're going to ask: are they good? Well, yes and no. No, they will not taste like potato chips, but yes, they are crunchy and yet, melt in your mouth. Kids love them, and they couldn't be easier to make.

Most of the photos I've seen online show kale chips as somewhat flat and browned, but mine stayed frilly and green, which I liked. The top photo are the finished chips, the middle photo was just as they went into the oven.

To make kale chips:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Inspect your kale - if it needs washing, wash and roll in paper towels or dish towels, or spin until dry.

Pull the kale leaves off the stem, tearing the large pieces into smaller pieces about 3-4 inches , until you have about 4 handfuls of leaves. Place the leaves in a dry bowl and sprinkle on:

2 T. sesame oil

1 T. herb vinegar (I used my homemade hot chili pepper vinegar)

salt

Toss the leaves well. It's surprising how such a small amount of oil manages to coat the kale leaves. Spread the leaves out on a baking sheet. Place in hot oven for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to 300F and pull out the kale chips. Move them around a little and place back in oven for another 10 minutes. By then they should be completely crunchy.

Enjoy!

ps/ I noticed with the high humidity here today, the chips lost their crunchiness in an hour or so. So - once the chips are cooled, pack'em in a zip bag to make sure they keep their crunch.

You might also like:

Portuguese Kale Soup with linguica sausage

or

Pasta with kale, rosemary, and garlic

~

A year ago on she's in the kitchen:

apricot and coconut clafoutis