How to Make Kale Chips

Kindergarten Leaf Unit Study

Okay, this might be the most random post I've ever written considering I'm not a food blogger, but after you try this recipe for kale chips you will thank me.  During J-Bug's leaf unit in My Father's World Kindergarten we made it a point to have leafy snacks every day.  This wasn't too hard considering we are already big on getting in our greens, but J-Bug got a kick out of relating our meals and snacks to his school work.  He also seemed surprised to consider lettuce and kale "leaves".  Now when we eat our greens he refuses to call them anything besides leaves. Since these were a big part of our leaf unit, I had to share how to make kale chips that are highly addicting and completely healthy:

How to Make the Best Kale Chips Ever

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Supplies:

• 2 heads kale
• 1/2 cup tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

Directions:  Trim the stems off of the kale leaves and rinse the greens well.  Pat dry with a paper towel.  While the kale is drying mixing together the remaining ingredients.

Once the kale leaves are dry transfer them to a bowl.  Pour the mixture on top of the greens, only using as much as necessary to cover the kale.  I do not use the entire mixture every time, so add it slowly.  The kale leaves should be evenly coated but not sopping wet or caked with the mixture.  If you get too much of the coating on some kale as shown below, gently squeeze it off with your fingers.  I mix the entire batch by hand to be sure all of the leaves are evenly coated.  Any unused sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container and used up to a week later.

Preheat the oven to 350 and spread the kale onto a cookie sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, checking often.  How much water a head of kale holds can vary quite a bit, so some batches of kale will crisp up quicker than others.  We generally make two batches at a time, so I pull the cookie sheet out of the over a few times during cooking to pull the leaves from the bottom and move them to the top.  I check my kale chips at least every ten minutes.  Sometimes they need to cook longer than 30 minutes.

We have tried many recipes for kale chips over the past few years, and this is by far the best way to make them.  My boys stand near the over door waiting for the treat to be ready, and they devour them the second the kale chips are cooked.  You should see the surprised looks on strangers at the grocery store when we pass the lettuce section, and one of my boys hollers, "Ooh can we get some kale!?"

For more hands on leaf activities for kids follow me on Pinterest.

More hands on leaf activities for kindergarten:

Painting with Leaves ~ Learning Activities with Pladough ~ How Does a Leaf Get Water