Baby Kale Chips

Can't wait to get them on a plate!

Can’t wait to get them on a plate!

It’s been weeks since I’ve had a chance to post on here.  My husband is working for a new restaurant and he’s working 14 hour days/6 days a week.  (Well, even his one day off he’ll still do food ordering, and other odds and ends.  Hey, better than being unemployed!)  After most of the past year having him around, I’d gotten quite used to it and now I’m back to doing all the parenting (after 8:15 AM) alone as well as cooking, cleaning, laundry, lawn mowing, shopping and my other job.  Oh, and the volunteer stuff I still do. Oh, and a kid home each day for 3 days last week after a 4 day weekend.  And, my son who’s not willing to get to school most days– at least on time.  So, all I’m saying is that it’s been a bit tough to sit down and write.  (Or I’ve got a fairly good excuse!)

I have been cooking and baking more now that my professional chef husband is out of the kitchen.  I’ve created a couple new things but mostly done many stand-by’s.  Those who are familiar with my blog might recognize some of the snack foods I’ve been making, but sometimes I like to change it up a bit. One such way, using baby kale when I make kale chips.  The boys gobble it up this way and I have done it 3 times in 2 weeks.  

I notice the taste of the kale is milder.  Maybe that’s why even my pickiest son will eat this faster and in larger quantities than normal (full-grown) kale chips.   It’s a very kid-friendly healthy snack!    

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For these I just use a tiny bit of olive oil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  (Sometimes I’ll use a spray oil which gives a perfect mist.) I roast them in batches at 375F until they’re papery and crisp.  It is important not to use too much oil or they’ll burn or be too soggy.  I just put a couple drops on top of a handful in a large mixing bowl with the salt and pepper.  Toss it around and even rub the oil onto the leaves.  Line a cookie sheet with the kale so they’re only 1 layer.  

I can’t bake them fast enough!

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Asian Style Kale Chips and Singapore Spiced Haddock

I was so excited to share these recipes I couldn’t wait to have the time to sit down and write.  On our first real warm day, after my kids had a fun and muddy playdate with some friends’ children, I had one boy wanting to stay for dinner.  He seemed especially keen when I said I was making fish.  He said he loves fish and seafood and got so excited to not only to stay to eat, but continuing to play with my sons.  I’d bought some Haddock and decided to make a variation of a recipe I’d created a month or so ago.  He loved it! But besides that I knew I had to make the kale chips.  So many people I follow (SC, FER, SK) have been blogging about them lately and I’d never made them before.  But I thought I’d change it up a bit by making it similarly to the roasted seaweed chips my sons adore. Sort of more Asian-style.  And, it not only worked, it far exceeded my expectations!  Woo-hoo! When my friend came to pick up her son she tried them and although she was full, she couldn’t stop eating them and took home what I had remaining for her husband.   I love that.  I love to see kids and people I care about eat well, enjoy food that I’ve served them.  It’s such a great gift to give them pleasure.

Roasted Kale Chips

  • 1 bunch kale
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • sea salt to taste

Strip the leaves of the kale off the stems and tear them into smaller pieces.  Put them in a mixing bowl and add the oils and salt.  Toss well then place on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 350º F* for about 10 minutes until crisp. You might want to turn them halfway through. They are so light and crisy, you’d be surprised how thin they become.    *I found recipes that had higher temps but I found this worked well.

 

Roasted Haddock with Singaporean Spices

  • 1 pound Haddock
  • 1 large handful cilantro, chopped
  • 2 spring onions (scallions), chopped
  • 1-2 tsp Penzy’s Singapore Spice blend
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 2 Tbsp grape seed oil (or canola)
  • juice from ½ lemon
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350º F Cut haddock into serving-sized portions.  Put 1 Tbsp oil into bottom of oven-proof pan. Place haddock in pan, skin side down and sprinkle spices over tops of fish.  Pour oil, wine and lemon juice over fish.  Cover with herbs and put in oven.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (depends on thickness of fish) until flaky but not dry. 

Now, my friend’s son wasn’t as into the kale as the fish, he did eat all his broccoli and most of his coleslaw.  All my sons liked the kale chips but funnily enough my eldest was the only one who didn’t care for the fish..   Friend’s son’s plate after he’d devoured the fish!

The coleslaw I made was very simple with just Savoy and red cabbage, carrots, lemon juice, mayonnaise, sugar, salt and pepper.   The whole dinner was perfect for a warm spring-like day that started with shirtless mud making and ended with sharing good food.