I love potato chips. However, in an effort to eliminate processed foods from my diet I’m trying not to buy them. And although I’ve made many batches of baked potato chips, they take a while to bake up. Kale chips are an awesome potato chip alternative.   These BBQ Kale Chips are crunchy, just like potato chips, they don’t require very much oil in baking them, and they bake-off really quickly, usually in just 10-15 minutes. I use smoky paprika, which helps give these chips a smoky barbecue flavor.   I recommend you buy a few bunches of kale to make several batches of these chips.  They’ll go quickly!

 BBQ Kale Chips

• 1 bunch of kale, about 4-5 stems, washed and dried, preferably organic
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or sunflower oil
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

1. Remove the thick stems from the kale. Holding the thickest part of the stem with one hand and pulling the leaves away from the stem with the opposite hand can easily do this.  Chop or tear the leaves into smaller chip-sized pieces. Place the kale into a large mixing bowl. Then, make the flavored oil.
2. To make the flavored oil place the coconut oil, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, oregano and sea salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the oil mixture until the paprika and cayenne stain the oil a slight tangerine hue, about 2 minutes.  Then, turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the oven and allow the oil mixture to cool. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C).
3. Once the oven has heated pour the cooled oil onto the kale. Use your hands to coat each piece of kale with the oil.
4. Next, place the kale in a single layer on a baking sheet. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your oven.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the edges are crisps and slightly browned, but not burned.

BBQ Kale Chips – BBQ flavor infused oil