No drinks reception is complete without a bowl of crisps and nuts. Reduce the salt and fat contents by switching out the shop-bought variety and instead try baking vegetables such as beetroot, sweet potato, kale, or soybeans and pumpkin seeds instead of salted peanuts. Sprinkle over a classic combination of sea salt and cracked pepper, or some chilli flakes and a squeeze of lime for a fiery kick this festive season. These alternatives are also packed full of vitamins and minerals, such as the vitamin E found in pumpkin seeds, which will help with dry skin in the cold weather.
Ingredients
- Approx. 1/2 bag kale leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (or marmite)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 150C. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove leaves from the stems of the kale and roughly tear it up into large pieces.). Wash the leaves and pat with kitchen towel until thoroughly dry.
- Add kale leaves into a large bowl. Massage in the oil until all the nooks and crannies are coated in oil. Now sprinkle on the spices/seasonings and toss to combine.
- Spread out the kale onto the prepared baking sheet into a single layer, being sure not to overcrowd the kale.
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more until the kale begins to firm up. The kale will look shrunken, but this is normal. I bake for 25 mins. total in my oven.
- Cool the kale on the sheet for 3 minutes before digging in! This really makes all the difference!
- Enjoy immediately as they lose their crispiness with time.
