Healthy Happy Hour

I often do happy hours at home with my friends, especially my friend Alexis. We used to work together and see each other every single day, but now that we don't work together anymore we need to make time to visit and catch up. And what better way to do that than over a happy hour?!

We recently decided to try out some healthier recipes (if you remember the last happy hour I posted about, it focused around French fries... Just sayin'...). She had just tested out a recipe for eggplant chips and I have been meaning to do a post about kale chips, so we decided to combine our efforts and make both of these recipes for our happy hour.

I first made these kale crispies after seeing them on TV last summer - I think Gwenyth Paltrow was making them - and decided to promptly try them out with my friend Paloma. I added my own flare and we both really liked them. We agreed they almost taste like popcorn if you get a bite that has more oil on them. They're a healthy favorite of mine so I really wanted to share them with everyone. I know the idea of kale chips sounds kind of unappealing, but they turn out really tasty and satisfying, and very similar to regular chips in texture and flavor. Trust me on this.

Aside from being tasty, kale - like all leafy greens - is a super healthy vegetable. It boasts high levels of beta carotene, vitamins K & C, is rich in calcium, and has potent anti-cancer properties. While there are certainly other ways to prepare kale, I think this way is pretty fun because it's simple and snack-perfect. If you're going to be snacking, why not be getting some vitamins and staving off cancer while you're at it?

OK, enough convincing. Let's move on to the good stuff: the recipes! I showed up to Alexis' kitchen, kale in hand, ready to cook the crispies and learn how to make her eggplant chips. Let's get cookin'!


Kale Crispies

Servings: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
About 5 kale stalks
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) .

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

I want to walk you through prepping the kale for baking. First you pull off the leafy green parts from the stems and tear into small, bite-size pieces. Discard the stems. Place the bite-sized leaves in a colander or salad spinner and thoroughly wash & dry.

Now they're ready for seasoning. Place the leaves onto a baking sheet, evenly spread out. Drizzle them with the EVOO, and then sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and cayenne. Toss with your hands to coat all the leaves with the seasoning. When you're done, make sure that the leaves are once again spread out evenly on the baking sheet.

Place in the oven to cook, checking often to make sure they're not burning. Remove once they're crispy, should take about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, less than five minutes, and then place them on a serving dish. Serve warm or cool, they're delish either way!

Eggplant Chips

This is Alexis' recipe and she was so kind as to allow me to share it with everyone here. I think she heard of the idea somewhere and decided to improve upon the recipe by adding her own herbs and flavors, much like I did with the kale crispies.

Since we talked about the health benefits of kale, let's mention some of the great attributes of eggplant, or aubergine as I like to call it :-)  It's a source of folic acid and potassium and has been identified as a way to help block the formation of free radicals. Sounds good to me!

Servings: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, thinly sliced into rounds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Pinch of sea salt 1 clove garlic, crushed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together the EVOO, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, pepper, and salt in a small bowl until combined. Add the crushed clove of garlic and let sit for ten minutes.

Lay out the eggplant rounds on a baking sheet (or a couple sheets if you have them. If you don't have more than one baking sheet, you will have to make them in batches) covered with aluminum foil. Brush the dressing onto the top side of the eggplant rounds, just enough so that the tops are fully coated.

Place in the oven to cook for about fifteen minutes or until they're crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oven and arrange on a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

We ate our chips and crispies with a nice refreshing bottle of reisling, but I think these would pair well with any white or red wine. Salute!