Kale Chips

Kale is such a superfood.. there probably aren't many other things that are better to eat then kale. I'm trying to cook with it more and more and heard about how easy and yummy kale chips were. A little skeptic, I tried them anyway.... and I'm so glad I did!

These were a huge hit! I loved them, my mom loved them, my 2 year old daughter loved them and kept asking for more. I'll definitely be making these often :) What a great healthy snack!

INGREDIENTS

• A bunch of kale
• olive oil
• Mrs. Dash (or whatever seasoning you want.. salt, salt & garlic)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut kale into bite-sized pieces, removing the center stem.
3. Wash well, then completely dry in a salad spinner.
4. Lay parchment paper on a cookie sheet and thinly spread kale across, making sure they're not bunched on top of each other.
5. Drizzle with a little olive oil and seasoning of choice.
6. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until kale is crisp but not burnt.
7. Enjoy!

Chicken, Bean and Kale soup

This week I got my first order of fruit and veggies from Door to Door Organics. I was very happy with the selection they sent! Everything was super fresh and nice.. I have a hard time finding such nice fruit/veggies at the supermarket! And how nice is it that it gets delivered to my door step, is very reasonably priced, is organic, and you even get to substitute items that you want/don't want! Definitely check them out if they deliver in your area.

One of the vegetables offered this week was kale.. I considered substituting it out since I have never cooked w/ kale (have I even eaten it before? My husband thinks it's in minestrone soup..?). I decided to go for it and try something different. So in search of a good kale recipe (allrecipes.com wasn't much help this time), I asked on the cooking board on thenest.com. Thank you blogger Savory Spicy Sweet for suggesting your Bean and Kale Soup ! It was delicious!!! I have to admit I was a bit wary of how it would turn out, but even my husband commented that this was one of the best soups he's ever had... that says a lot coming from him! ;)

I made a few changes.. mainly added chicken to the recipe. You can see the original recipe by clicking on the link above.INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, cut to bite size pieces
4 cups chopped raw kale (1 bush)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves (for once I used real garlic as opposed to powdered! Thank you Door2Door ;)
1 cup frozen chopped onions
4 cans chicken broth
2 cans beans (I used white and pinto)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, brown chicken in some olive oil.
Heat olive oil in a large pot.
Add garlic and onion. Sauté until soft.
Add kale and stir until wilted.
Add cooked chicken, broth, beans, tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil then simmer 20 minutes.
Ladle into bowls.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.