After an extremely long vacation, I’ve been back in the States for about a week and a half now. I had an amazing time, but I’m really happy to be home – traveling is exhausting! This was my first time backpacking. I went to England, The Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Turkey! I got to meet a lot of awesome people from all over.

Now I’m just at home relaxing for a bit before I move to New York City and start my new life. I have a lot of free time, so I’m trying to take advantage of it while I can! Unfortunately, sitting around the house with the television on leads to a lot of snacking…

This snack is a tasty, healthy alternative to potato chips. It definitely fulfills your craving for crunchy, salty foods, but without all the guilt.

I have to say, I’m usually not much of a kale fan… it’s too bitter! A little bit of kale, okay. But a whole kale salad? Never in a million years! I can’t do it! I know it’s good for me, but I can’t eat it. Kale chips on the other hand… I can eat a whole batch of these all by myself.

Lemon Pepper Kale Chips
Vegan, gluten free.

Ingredients
1 bunch kale, washed and dried
1-2 Tbsp lemon olive oil
salt
fresh cracked pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Remove stems from kale and cut leaves into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces. (The leaves will shrink in the oven, so cut pieces bigger than you want your chips!)
3. Put kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat evenly.
4. Spread out kale on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Bake for 25-30 min, until crisp.

I love these with the lemon olive oil! It really gives it a nice flavor. If you don’t have any, you can always use regular olive oil with a bit of lemon juice, or experiment with other flavors!