Smoked Paprika Kale chips

I need to stop eating these.  Wait, do I need to stop eating these?  I’m so confused!  They are chips.  But they are kale.  HELP!!!

The garden gave forth a plentiful bounty of blue scotch kale.  It also gave a lot of tuscan kale at the same time.  What was I going to do with all this kale?!  I remembered someone at the farmers market telling me that the blue scotch variety made good kale chips, so I thought I’d give it a go.  Everyone is raving about kale chips, but how good can they be?  It seemed trendy, hip, THE thing to make and eat.  But what the heck, I’d give it a shot. And if it was an epic fail, I wouldn’t have to tell anyone I tried it, right?!

Oh but they are gooooooddd….  Especially when you sprinkle a little smoked paprika on them.  These cheeps came out smoky, nutty, and almost like actual potato chips; hence my confusion to stop eating them or to keep eating them.  They were a little on the salty side (I’ll cut back on the “sprinkle” next time) so I opted to stop.  After almost half were gone.   Ooops.  But I don’t feel all that guilty.    Kale green chip goodness is here to stay!

Smoked paprika kale chips. This photo doesn’t really do these beauties justice.

Smoked Paprika Blue Scotch Kale Chips

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Remove the stems from 1 lb. of blue scotch kale leaves and tear the leaves into large bite-sized pieces. Discard the stems.

• Place the torn kale into a large mxing bowl and drizzle with one to two tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the leaves to coat them evening.

• Place the leaves in one layer on a baking sheet and season them with smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt.

• Bake the kale in your preheated oven until the leaves are crispy, but not burnt. Remove the pan from the oven and serve while warm or cool.