Flirting with Kale Chips....

I’ve recently been flirting with going Vegetarian again. I picked up a book (The Kind Diet) at the library on post and read about adapting a plant-based diet (the book was on going Vegan; no meat or dairy products) and its benefits. So, I’ve been meat free for 4 days. I’m opting for the lacto-ovo version of Vegetarianism again. (For those of you who read my personal blog, I went Vegetarian last year for about a month.) Maybe I’ll try vegan as well, later on down the road, but I’m excited and I feel great. In the last 4 days I’ve lost some weight and hope that by going on a plant-based diet instills healthy habits in my eating régime. I’m not completely ready to go dairy free; I’m enjoying Mushroom soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch or a Portabella Gardenburger with jalapeno cheese for dinner too much right now. I also received my Everyday Food magazine in the mail this week and inside was a neat Chili-Sauce Kale Chip recipe. I couldn’t find the exact recipe online, so I typed it up along with my modifications. I didn’t have the Sriracha sauce (the one with the rooster on it) so I subbed my favorite hot sauce instead, Frank’s Red Hot. Let me tell you, these chips are a no brainier and delicious. The kale ran me 99 cent a bunch and salt, EVOO and hot sauce are staples in my house. So with minimal effort, these awesome chips were ready in no time. I also ran across a kale chip article and hope that it gives you food for thought too. :D

Red Hot Kale Chips

2 bunches of curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn into 2 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons EVOO

5 teaspoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

Coarse Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 300*F. Wash kale and run through a salad spinner. Lay on baking sheets. In a bowl mix together olive oil & hot sauce, then drizzle over the kale, season with salt. Using your hands, toss to coat and bake until kale is crisp and beginning to brown (about 30 minutes) tossing kale every 10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy. (Keep in a zip top bag or air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days).