Finishing the Race

 

Having a different perspective on how I view food compared to my obsessive dieting days is so refreshing. In the past, I looked at food as bad and felt shame when I ate. I couldn’t see past all the dieting Don’t Eat…! rules and regulations to actually see food from a healthy perspective—as nourishment to my body.

Now when I look at fruits and vegetables, especially at a farmer’s market or at the organic section at Whole Foods, I’m like a kid in a candy store. I know it sounds hard to believe that someone can actually get excited about vegetables. It thrills me to see all the beautiful foods available to me that nourish my body, keep me energetic, and help keep my immune system strong. Allow me to share with you an easy way to enjoy one vegetable as a snack, kale chips. Surprisingly, even my husband likes them.

The Parmesan Kale Chips are the easiest to make. Although, I have heard some people make kale chips solely seasoned with salt.

Step 1:  After washing your kale leaves, dry off excess water. Tear approximately 2″ pieces off the spine of each leaf. Please note if the pieces are too small, once dried in the dehydrator, they shrink into little crumbs. When available, flowering purple and white kale is really nice to use, because the leaves are thicker and make a nice hearty chip.

Step 2:  Start by tossing the kale leaves with olive oil, coating evenly. Next add the Parmesan cheese and salt mixture, toss lightly to evenly coat the leaves.

Step 3:  Line the coated kale chips close together on the dehydrator trays. Dehydrate. Kale chips are ready when the kale is crisp—in approximately 4 hours.

When my son was in high school, he bought this dehydrator to make beef jerky. At the time the dehydrator cost $29.99. I recently found a newer model on Amazon for $41.99. I use my son’s dehydrator almost once a week; I appreciate the convenience of this appliance.

To maintain the integrity of the chips, I store my kale chips tightly sealed in a glass container. Notice the photo above, there is white rice in the bottom of the dish. The white rice keeps the kale chips crisp—same principle as removing moisture from a cell phone. Please be careful not to catch any rice in your chip while enjoying.

 

Blessings to your health!