Nacho Kale Chips

So I need to make a pterodactyl costume. I live a block from fabric row (a street in Philadelphia that has fabric store upon fabric store, as if the name wasn’t explanatory enough) and couldn’t find the perfect color fabric. I settled on a hunter green, but it just doesn’t feel right. I mean, I know we aren’t 100% sure what pterodactyls looked like aesthetically, but hunter green just wasn’t fun to me…

So alas, I made it my mission to find the perfectly pterodactyl green. And here we are, 10ish days from Halloween and I have my ideal fabric. Oh wait, oh wait. Let me clarify this is a costume for my kid. Not me, right? So now I have about three or four different greens. But, what if pterodactyls were more tan-ish? Or some sort of gray?! I’m going with traditional dinosaur green. Because I already have it.

I also have a bunch of kale in my fridge, just sitting. I’ve been wondering what to make with it and have been a bit indecisive. I was outside when my neighbor asked me how to cook kale chips. Funny because kale chips have been super tricky for me. I always burn them, mainly due to impatience. Well, I gave him a run down of how I would cook kale chips.

Then, I went inside and put my little man down for a nap. Then I cooked my own kale chips. Then I ate them. Joe, if you’re reading this, thanks for the inspo.

Let me be real with you guys. My little guys have been sick. It’s just the stuffy nose and cough type of fall cold, but it’s enough that they’ve been super cranky and have zapped a lot lot lot of my energy. I’ve been getting treats for myself, namely cheddar and sour cream chips. They’re my fav. There’s something about that saltiness that just does it. Junk food at its finest. Well, I wanted to make a chip that will put to rest that salty craving.

Plus it’s a pterodactyl green snack 😉

I know kale chips are all the rage, but for those of you that have been resisting the kale chip bandwagon or want a new variation, I sincerely suggest you give this a whirl. The nacho flavors are so fun and really give you that crispy crunchy satisfaction. Let’s make some Nacho Kale Chips:

Pull the leafy greens from the kale stem. Coarsely chop the kale leaves to make some chip sized chunks. You want them to be pretty chunky.

In a small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil and tomato paste.

In a large bowl, place your cut kale and avocado oil mixture. Massage the kale so the leaves are completely covered with oil. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and 3 tablespoons of the nutritional yeast and toss. Lay the leaves on a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of nutritional yeast.

Place in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, check them and toss gently with tongs. Cook for another 10 minutes and then check them. Gently toss again and cook for another 10 minutes until crispy. Mine took about 30 minutes, checking and tossing on them every 10 minutes.

Turn off the oven and allow the chips to cool in the oven if your chips still need crisping. If your kale chips are already pretty crispy, set them on top of the stove to cool them before transferring to a bowl or container.

Enjoy!! xo