Baked Kale Chips

In their new book, “The Little Big Cookbook for Moms,” (Welcome Books) New York City working mothers Alice Wong and Natasha Tabori Fried lay down their Top 10 Ways to Get Your Child to Eat Better (p.30 in the book).

Now, the recipe you’ve been waiting for….

Baked Kale Chips

“We love the kale chips! It is so important to think about healthy habits early. If you start your 1 year old on cheese doodles, it’s going to be really hard to wean him off them for something healthier later,” Fried advises. “Kale chips are just as addictive as potato chips, but also great way to add nutritious kale to your child’s diet regularly. (See Great Greens Saut (page 284) for nutritional information.)

1 bunch kale

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt

1 teaspoon piment n (smoked paprika) (optional)

1 teaspoon granulated garlic (optional)

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 275 F.

2 Remove the stems and tough center ribs from the kale and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Rinse and thoroughly dry the leaves the leaves should be really dry! Toss with the olive oil and salt and arrange in a single layer on baking sheets.

3 Bake until the leaves are crisp but still dark green they get bitter when they turn brown turning the leaves halfway through the baking time, about 20 to 30 minutes total.

4 Sprinkle with the paprika and granulated garlic or with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve as finger food or crumble over popcorn.

Serves 2 to 4

*p.148 in “The Little Big Cookbook for Moms” Snacks & Small Bites section.

For more information and a peek inside “The Little Big Cookbook for Moms”-including the best roast chicken recipe you’ll ever make- please visit http://www.welcomebooks.com/littlebigcookbookformoms and click the LOOK INSIDE button. And pick up Alice and Natasha’s previous and perfect companion book, the bestselling “Little Big Book for Moms.” Additional parenting and childrens books can be found here.