Beads, Masks, and Kale Chips

Today was another very long day packed with big deadlines.  In the office by 7 AM, out at 8 PM plus another 90 minutes on the road.  I can't complain though, the work is intense but very interesting and the people I work with are great.  It's just hard to be stuck in front of a computer most of the day with little opportunity to move around.  This is definitely not how I had hoped to spend Fat Tuesday.

At least the cafeteria operator tried to create a mood of festiveness by serving Creole-inspired entrees and decorating everything with masks and beads.  I don't understand why they didn't take kindly to my suggestion that patrons had to flash some flesh in order to be served.  Personally I think it would have created a much-needed distraction to keep everyone from paying too much attention to the food. What is it with cafeteria food?  Despite the best efforts of the kitchen staff, no one could tell the difference between the shrimp etouffee, crawfish jambalaya, or chicken andouille gumbo -- it all looked and tasted like bland, soupy, red mush.

I got home a little before 9 PM and was not really in the mood to cook the miso eggplant I had planned for today.  I'd had leftover salad for dinner at the office and when I got home, I was craving carbs--crunchy carbs, crispy carbs, things like Kettle Chips or popcorn.  But alas.  There is never anything like that in our house. At best we might have a bag of "everything" pretzel crisps. What Joy.  I opened the vegetable crisper in the fridge to rummage through and suddenly, there it was - the inspiration I was looking for:  a bunch of kale.  Kale chips are almost like Kettle Chips, right?  If I could get my semi-broken oven to cooperate, there could possibly be some redemption. Since I didn't have a lot of kale left, I also added n some whole, large leaf spinach and a couple of carrots for good measure. I used a vegetable peeler to make thin slices of the carrots, which greatly enhanced their crisp-ability.

Sesame seeds and Furikake add a great crunch to the kale

I wanted to be sure the chips were well-baked and crunchy so I decided to add sesame seeds to the oil in which everything was tossed, and I also added the last of my furikake to increase the umami factor. The end result was a guilt free snack - no confession needed now on Ash Wednesday, at least not for cheating on my diet.





Kale, Carrot, and Spinach chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

1 small bunch kale, washed and dried very well (should be completely dry)
1 bunch spinach, washed and dried very well
2 carrots, washed and dried
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Furikake seasoning
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (black or white or both)
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

It's best to wash the vegetables when you first bring them home.  I usually wash and spin dry my greens, then roll them up in paper towels and place inside a plastic bag.  They last a week or longer this way and they are ready to use when needed.  You don't want water on the produce when you put it into the oven or the vegetables will steam instead of drying out, and you will end up with limp, wilted not-at-all-chiplike vegetables.

Combine the seasonings (Furikake, sesame seeds, salt, and cayenne) in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Using a vegetable peeler and pressing hard on to the carrot, peel off ribbons of carrot. Toss in a plastic bag with a drizzle of olive oil and a teaspoon of the seasoning mix.  Lay the carrot strips onto the parchment paper of one of your baking trays, leaving space in between each carrot.  Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Check frequently to ensure they don't begin to burn.

Remove the tough stems from the kale and spinach, then cut into larger, rough pieces.  Add to the bag you used for the carrots, drizzle in the rest of the olive oil to lightly coat the greens, and sprinkle on the remaining seasonings,   Toss well, then spread in a thin layer onto the second baking tray.  Place in the oven and roast for about 8 -10 minutes or until the chips are crispy.  You may need to remove some of the more well-done chips and let others continue to bake for a little longer.