Mexican Kale Chips

I've read so many posts about kale chips lately.  I figured it was high time I tried my hand at it.  I was looking for them to be sturdy enough to eat with guacamole.   Yeah, that's not gonna happen.  They are too brittle and crisp for that, but they were REALLY good.  I mean, like I could eat the whole pan by myself good!

I washed the kale and put it in the salad spinner to get off as much water as possible.  You could use a paper towel to squeeze out the water if you want to.

I mixed up a pinch of cumin, garlic powder, salt and Mexican oregano and put it in with the spoonful of coconut oil I was melting on the stove.  I didn't leave it in for long, just a minute or two to infuse the flavors of the spices into the oil.  Don't go overboard on the spices as the flavors will intensify as the kale shrinks and dries.

I laid them all out on a baking sheet at cooked at 170 degrees (as low as my oven would go) for one hour.  Flipped the kale over and made sure nothing was getting brown.  Left them in the warm oven to sit for 30 minutes.  Cooked them again at 170 degrees for another hour.

perfectly crispy kale chips

I just had to hold up a crispy piece of kale
to show how green it still is.  So pretty!

Rutabaga Fries with Chipotle-Lime Dipping Sauce

Today 2 of my 3 kids are sick, so they're wanting comfort food.  I'm wanting to stay on my diet plan.  To me, comfort foods consist of pancakes or homemade mac 'n cheese or even enchiladas.  Carb addict <<COUGH, COUGH>>  To them comfort foods include the beloved mashed potatoes or French fries.  Guess those apples didn't fall far from the tree, did they?  So I decided to make them baked chicken and French fries.  I've had some rutabagas in the fridge crisper for a week or so with the intention of doing something with them, so today is the day.

I have to admit I'd never eaten or even heard of a rutabaga until my first holiday with my new in-laws twentysomething years ago.  My mother-in-law made mashed rutagagas with butter, salt and pepper every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I thought they were weird and they smelled a little turnip-y. They looked nice in her beautiful serving dishes though.  They looked like golden yellow, almost translucent mashed potatoes.  After tasting them I thought they were pretty darn good.  I wasn't gonna go out and make them or anything, but they were decent.  The next year rolled around and I liked them even better.

It's odd how you can go so long without eating something and forget how much you enjoy it.  When I started low-carbing years ago, I needed a substitution for the fries I was used to having in my diet.  This veggie does the trick, it even has some fiber and protein thrown in for good measure.  They brown up beautifully, but I have a hard time getting them crispy without burning them.  If you haven't tried rutabaga before you should give it a shot.  These are good for any low-carbers, whether you follow Atkins, or paleo, South Beach or whatever low carb plan floats your boat.  They're so good even my youngest enjoys them and she gives most veggies the skunk-eye.  You can find the carb count and nutritional value here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga

aren't these homely lil' veggies?

peel the wax-coated skin off with a knife or vegetable peeler
cut into wedges

put into a bag and add:

• oil (I used coconut oil)
• salt
• chili powder
• paprika

close and shake to coat

before shake and coat

dump onto old, ugly baking sheet - okay, maybe that's just me

bake at 375 degrees
1 1/2 hours (flip them half-way through cooking time)
If you cut them into smaller "fries" I'm sure you can cut your baking time down.  My wedges were pretty thick.
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Chipotle-Lime Dipping Sauce

• 1 8 oz. container sour cream
• 3-4 chipotle peppers
• 1/4 lime juice (1 lime wedge)
• salt to taste

mix in blender or food processor
The kids prefer their "fries" with ranch dip or ketchup, but my husband and I love this dip.