PERFECTED ‘ALMOST RAW’ KALE CHIPS

Perfected ‘Almost Raw’ Kale Chips

I call these ‘almost raw’ because the inspiration came from raw dehydrated kale chips. I have made the dehydrated version on occasion but the children found the strong oxalic acid flavour of raw kale too intense. The slightly higher heat of this method (technically food is no longer raw when heated above 46C) sweetens the chips without burning them to a crisp like higher heat recipes. While still locking in some of the raw kale goodness.

Ingredients

• 6-8 large curly kale leaves or 1 large bunch
• 1 heaped teaspoon coconut oil
• sea salt

Instructions

• Turn on the oven to 50C and set on fan bake (or the lowest temperature close to 50C).
• Use a clean tea towel to dry the leaves, a little moisture is OK as the slow low heat will dry them out.
• Hold a kale leaf by the stalk and tear off chip-sized pieces into a bowl. Compost the stalk. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
• Scoop the coconut oil into your hands and rub together until the oil is melted. Rub this into the kale chips. Take some time here making sure all the leaves and curly crevices are lightly coated.
• Line 2 or 3 shallow oven trays with baking paper. Arrange the chips in single layers on the trays. It is OK if the chips touch just not overlapping. Season lightly with sea salt. *The salt will concentrate as the chips dry so just a light sprinkle is needed, you can always add more to taste once they are cooked.
• Place the trays in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. The chips are ready when they are crispy and a vibrant dark green colour. Taste one to check, it should melt in your mouth, while not at all chewy. Leave for an extra 30 minutes if needed to crisp up.
• Store cooled kale chips in an airtight zip-lock bag. If properly crisped and stored they will stay crunchy for 3-4 days.

My daughter loves making a big batch of kale chips to munch on for afternoon snacks. All I need to do is make sure we have kale leaves harvested (or a big bunch from the market) and turn on the oven. And it won’t be long before my eagerly independent 5-year-old will be do it all by herself. I love that such a potently-healthy green vegetable has become one of her favourite foods.

However, not all kale chip recipes are the same, with some resulting in a rather burnt and bitter experience. Over the years I have been perfecting my kale chip making. Last year I shared a recipe for Cavolo Nero (Black Kale) Chips. That recipe is good, and it works as long as you catch the chips before they brown too much. Although I knew there had to be a method that was more fail proof. So here it is, my perfected kale chip recipe. However, if you are in a rush this isn’t the recipe you are looking for. These chips take time, OK, time that is mostly unattended. We make these in a large batch in the weekend, or on a weekday afternoon when the oven is not in use, so they are ready for dinner. Then we keep the cooled chips in an airtight zip-lock bag to lock in the crunch. The perfect afternoon snack we love, I hope you do too!

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