KALE CHIPS

Oh yeah!.... Kale Chips!

These little green wonders are Fantastic.  They actually taste like real chips without the potatoes, calories and Fat!!!

I have made these a few times in the past months.  When my husband Chris tried them for the first time he thought they weren't bad and nibbled on a few, and I finished off the rest of the tray.
Today when I make them, I end up only having a few nibbles because Chris devours the entire tray for himself.
He is the biggest sceptic I know.  So, if he's willing to eat these yummy Kale Chips like there's no tomorrow than I'm sure you will enjoy these too.

Yummy Kale, ready to eat in my garden

It all starts with some Kale leaves growing in my garden.
Here's the recipe, you won't be disappointed.  And they are much more cost efficient with less fat than any kale chips you can purchase at a store.


INGREDIENTS
1 large bunch of Kale or 2 small bunches
1 Tblsp. olive oil
1 - 2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne powder
1 - 2 Tblsp. grated Parmesan cheese







INSTRUCTIONS
Throw all of the kale in the sink with cold water.
Swish them around to get off any dirt and bugs left on them from the ground. Or if buying from the store wash off any dirt left behind from shipping and handling.

Rip off all of the leafy parts and leave the tough stems behind to compost.

Layer the leaves onto a baking sheet.
There should be one good layer on the baking sheet nice and thick with leaves.  But do not overlap them too much.

Sprinkle on very little olive oil.  If too much oil is sprinkled on, the chips become very soggy.  So extremely little amount of olive oil is best.
Sprinkle on the garlic powder, as much as you like.
Shake on the Parmesan or Romano cheese of your liking.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

After 20 minutes of baking, they've shrunk but are not quite crispy enough yet.

After 30 minutes, they're ready.  Crispy and ready to eat.

The chips should be brown/green in colour and crispy.
If they're not leave them in a few minutes longer or you may have too much oil on them.
Maybe try a spritz bottle with the oil, that may work better.

Close up so you can see the spices on the leaves and the crisp look of these kale chips

When these little kale crisps are done baking, enjoy their yummy goodness.  They are delicious!
I like to sit in front of the t.v. and enjoy the entire tray to myself.  Which I may have to do before my husband gets to them. Hee hee, ha ha.

Eat Well,
;)

BRING AN APPETIZER

Your going out to a get together with friends or family.  They've invited you for dinner.  You are asked to bring an appetiser.  This one I've come up with I have been making for a few years now.  My father in law loves them.  Wraps filled with colourful crunchy vegetables, feta cheese and creamy Greek dressing all wrapped together in a rice paper wrap.  Best of all they're low cal, and full of vitamins from all of the fresh raw veggies.  Although these are a little time consuming, they are so worth it.  Get the husband involved, the kids. Why not?  When they've been part of the creation, they enjoy the food more.  If there are any leftover, they make a great lunch for the next day.

RICE PAPER WRAPS

INGREDIENTS

A variety of straight cut veggies. I use......
red pepper
yellow pepper
carrot
cucumber
sometimes I use jicama too. (its a vegetable that looks somewhat like a potato with light brown skin, white inside and tastes a little like a pear)
feta cheese (cut into strips)
arugula or other fresh herbs of your liking
Renee's creamy Greek salad dressing
rice paper (found in the international section of your
grocery store)
water (for soaking the rice paper)


INSTRUCTIONS


Set up your station like an assembly line.
I use two plates for soaking my rice paper in water until it is pliable enough to roll, but soft enough to eat.
I set up my filling ingredients and have a plate ready for completed wraps.  Also i have some extra water standing by in case I run short. The dish towel is used for my wrapping to absorb excess water from the rice paper.

So, now that we are all ready, let's go!
First lay your rice paper in the dish of water. You can get a second one soaking as well once you get going and are comfortable enough.

Let the rice paper soak for about 30
seconds or so. You can check to see
if it is pliable enough by touching  it                                                
with your fingers. Once it is soft enough, gently pick it up with two hands and spread onto the dish towel.

Now, fold it in half, so it looks like a
half moon.












Start adding your filling ingredients one at a time.
First add the Greek salad dressing.

Then add the feta cheese making sure
some of it is placed beyond the folded
rice paper wrap.                                                          









Continue adding all of the vegetables and arugula.
Making sure to place them beyond the rice paper only at one end, and as evenly as possible. No worries about the veggie ends inside the rice paper wrap, they will be covered and no one will see them.

Once finished, fold the bottom of the
wrap over the fillings.

Then fold over the left side of the rice
paper wrap.

Now, holding the bottom of the wrap in toward the filling, roll the wrap together towards the right side. You may need to add a little bit of pressure to make sure everything stays in place.  The wrap my be a bit sticky, but that's what you want.
The wrap would fall apart without the
stickiness.  Continue to roll to the end of the rice paper.

Oh, they're so pretty.  Now layer on a brightly coloured plate and your done.  You might want to eat one to "test" it.
Be sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to serve as these can dry up easily.
Enjoy.





You can try any variations you like.  For example Thai wraps with Thai garlic chili sauce and peanut butter and coconut. Or Chinese wraps using bean sprouts and nappa cabbage and I don't know.... maybe plum sauce.  Have fun and experiment.  Leave me a comment and let me know your creations.

Eat Well.
:)