Today I have the pleasure of presenting you with an ingenious recipe: kale chips. I’ve been making them for years, but not with black kale; rather, with the curly kale that I find here in the Netherlands, known in English as kale or in Dutch as boerenkool, widely used here to prepare the famous stamppot. Here in the Netherlands, I only find it occasionally, but luckily in Italy, black kale is readily available, and you too can enjoy this delight.
The kale chips are to be enjoyed any time of the day and are especially perfect when you crave something crunchy that won’t ruin your diet. Plus, not only do you satisfy a craving, but they are also very nutritious: the cooking is minimal, and we eat vegetables, so what more could you want?
At my house, they literally disappear: the Dutchman would eat them by the pound, but with only 1 WW point per serving, it’s fine. They are also tastier than those made with curly kale. Black kale is much less bitter, making the result much more delicious. Let’s look at the ingredients and the method…
You can find a few more recipes with black kale here:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz black kale
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- to taste spices (I used garlic, onion, and sweet paprika powder)
- to taste salt
- Points per serving = 1 WW point
Tools
- Splash Guard
- Air Fryer
Preparation
First, prepare all the ingredients and wash the black kale leaves, being careful not to break them. Remove the tough central rib of each kale leaf and cut the leaves into smaller pieces. You can cut the ribs into small pieces, boil them for 10 minutes, and use them to make an omelet or add them to soups: nothing goes to waste!
Put the leaves in a large bowl and add some salt, the oil, and the spices of your choice. I like to use garlic and onion powder and also a dash of sweet or smoked paprika. Mix and massage the oil and spices onto the leaves with your hands so they are all coated. As you can imagine, a lot of oil remains on your hands, which is also good for your skin!
Place all the cleaned leaves directly on the baking tray covered with parchment paper, being careful not to overlap the leaves so they can all cook evenly.
Put the tray in a preheated oven at 392°F (200°C) for 5 minutes and check the cooking. If needed, cook for another couple of minutes. In my convection oven, I let them cook for exactly 7 minutes.
Alternatively, you can cook them in the fryer like this: put a few leaves directly in the basket, and importantly, place a splash guard for the air fryer on top. I use a grill that came with it, otherwise, I’ve suggested one above in the Tools section.
Cook at 320°F (160°C) for 4 minutes, then check if they are crispy, and at most, you will have to continue for another minute.
And here are our kale chips ready: serve them in a paper cone as you do with takeaway fries to make them even more fun.
They are good hot or cold and remain crispy for a long time.
Here is a detail of a leaf, just to give you an idea: I guarantee that they are super crispy and too good: try them and let me know how they came out!
Enjoy!
by Giovanna Buono
