Kale chips

Eat more kale is what I've been telling myself lately. It's a food that rarely makes most people's top-10 list but on my own list, it's a superstar. Kale is one of those foods that's high in all the right things. It's high in antioxidants, vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium and iron.

Kale is a member of the "cruciferous" vegetable family. Other veggies in this family include broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, watercress and chard. No doubt, some of the others are more popular than kale.

Part of the problem is people don't know what to do with kale. One of the easiest and tastiest ways to use it is as kale chips. It's also great sauteed with olive oil or added to soups or stews.

Lately, I've become addicted to kale chips which helps you use up and consume a lot of kale. Kale chips are quite tasty and help satisfy one's cravings for crispy snacks.

There are several ways to prepare kale chips. One takes about 15 minutes and uses the oven. The other requires a food dehydrator and requires about 1-2 hours for one bunch of kale. Larger quantities take much longer.

My favorite Kale Chip recipes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wash, trim and chop 1 bunch of kale into pieces. I usually make my pieces about 2-3 inches long. Trim off most of the stems and use the leafy portions.

Toss the kale pieces with 2 T. olive oil and 2 T. lemon juice. Or make up a mixture of 2 T. tahini and 1 T. Bragg's amino acids. Use the same procedure. Place the kale in a bowl and drizzle some of tahini mixture on top and mix in.

Spread on large sprayed baking sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes or until crispy.

Trust me it's really delicious even if it looks a little toasty.