Kale Chips

I haven't really found the time to work on my food blog. Testing recipes now and then for my Something Sweeter bakery and for my cookbook. But you know how things go with having kids. I still have to cook and bake for them.

I've been wanting to post a healthy, easy snack recipes like Kale Chips. I remember one time I told my friend, Melissa, that I would like to bake some kale chips for our snack, and she told me she ate them before. Prepackaged and tasted horrible. When I visited her and made her some, she said they tasted better than prepackaged kinds. Nobody should buy kale chips anyway. They are easy to make. Plus, they taste best right out of the oven. Warm and crunchy.

I've seen a lot of recipes calling for spices, cheese, etc. But seriously, kale chips only need oil and sea salt. Less is more kinda snack. The oven temperature will be up to you. Some recipes called for very high heat 400F degree. Some were in between 300F degrees. My friend Nicole told me to go low and slow to keep the nutrients. So I tested this recipe with 225F degree. Nicole said to go even lower than that but I was too impatient. You decide the oven temperature. The idea is to make kale leaves crispy like chips.

Kale Chips
serve 2-3, depending on how much you make

a few organic kale leaves
cooking oil or spray (olive oil, safflower oil, or coconut oil)
sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to the lowest setting, between 170F to 225F degrees.
2. For each kale, remove leaves from stem then tear them in bite size pieces. Remover any hard stem on the leaves as well.
3. Place the kale leaves on the baking pan.
4. Spray the kale leaves with cooking oil or coat them with cooking oil.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until crisps, about 30 minutes.
6. Take the baked kale chips out of the oven and sprinkle with sea salt.
7. Let the baked kale leaves cool then transfer them to a bowl. Enjoy!!! We actually love them with our family movie afternoon.

Allergy Info: The baked kale chips are free from... well... pretty much everything.

What's up?

So I've been MIA for a long while. Been working and taking care of my family. That's all. But a lot has been going on here...

 

Brek decided this year that he wanted to go to public school. And off he went to public high school. He's luving every minute of it... well, except lunch. I guess going from homeschooling to taking classes at a private school of less than 80 students to 2000+ public high school would be daunting to me. But it's like an adventure for him. He luvs the prep rally. He finally understood the grossness of school lunches. Now I have to deliver hot lunch a few times a week. Wouldn't it be nice if all schools have microwaves?

 

I decided to homeschool Camden this year. When I have to work to make deadlines, he'd sit next to me, playing games on iPad, singing, and sometimes even asking me to help him with some spellings. And it's been like that lately... work, school, work, school. And sometimes, Camden was so loud that I couldn't concentrate on what I was typing. Yup, I decided to videotape his singing. This one was pretty good. He luvs to beat bopping. But sometimes, I'd wonder if he was singing or was that just a lot of yelling.

 



 

I had a chance to take Camden to the library to homeschool him there for the first time. Took a picture of him with his backpack and his Scooby. He was so happy and excited. Plus, it was fun. Then that night, he kept playing with Daddy's Halloween wig. Daddy took a picture of him turning into a rock star. Check out my first meme.

 

 

I haven't baked much. My Something Sweeter bakery has been quiet. Nobody is ordering. Well, I haven't really advertised. I've been contracted with work remotely from home, so that is my focus right now. I didn't realize how much fun it is to actually have a job-job. Here's hoping my company has more projects for me to work on even after my husband finds work.

 

When I had to go into the office to turn in my files, I made time to bake. My coworkers seemed to enjoy my baked sweets. I mean, the sweets were always sold out. Good for my ego, you know what I mean? It's been a good excuse to make the time to bake cookies, brownies, or muffins. I want to bake them chocolate croissants one of these days. And sticky buns. These are yeast dough so they taste best the day they are baked. That will be tricky to bake and bring them into the office the same day. Hmm... I've been waking up at 6am every morning (some days even earlier... how about 5am). Maybe I can.

 

I'm thinking of baking something oatmeal. Definitely oatmeal cookies. Ate one at Whole Foods and it was really good. Couldn't figure out what was in it... tasted like caramel. But you know how that goes. It's gonna take awhile when testing recipes. I hope my kids won't mind taste testing them. By the way, Autumn is here. What are you guys baking? I've been craving bacons... but that has nothing to do with season changed. Well, I'm in Texas so it still feels like summer... hot and humid. Seriously though. If anything is always good with bacons, then bacons must be great any time of the year. Check out my maple bacon cupcakes. Umm... bacons...

Fried Sushi Rice Balls

Life has been keeping me super busy. After my parents went back to Thailand last month, all I've been doing is cleaning. On top of that, my husband still has a hard time landing a job, so we are on extra, extra "saving money" mode.

Before the laid off and downsizing our home, I already taught my kids to save on everything. Buy things when they are on sales. Turn off the lights when they leave the room. Instead of buying water bottles, use washable bottles. Plus, no plastic goes to wasteland. When it comes to leftover, reinvent them.

So for this post, I have you... deep-fried sushi rice balls. My dilemma is the leftover sushi rice. I saw a cooking show once where a chef cooked rice balls in his food truck. That made me wonder... if I could use the leftover sushi rice to make rice balls.

I came up with this recipe by trail and errors. But you know what, I got it right the first time!!! Not bad!!! You can double and triple the recipe to feed the crowds. Feel free to test the size of the rice balls too. I usually make them using a small scooper. Anyway, it really doesn't matter the size. Trust me. Who doesn't like fried food?!?!?

Fried Sushi Rice Balls
serves 3-4, depending on the size

2 large eggs, divided
2 cups (12 oz.) cooked short or medium grain rice
1 3/4 cups (7 oz.) panko breadcrumbs
1/2 Tablespoons onion powder
1/2 Tablespoons garlic powder
honey mustard dipping sauce

1. Line a baking pan with a nonstick mat. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg.
3. Mix in the breadcrumbs and cooked rice.
4. Using an ice cream scooper (any size you want), form the rice into balls.
5. Place them on the prepared pan and keep them in the fridge until ready to fry them.
6. When ready, add oil to a heavy bottom pot with a deep-fried thermometer, about 2 inch deep.
7. While the oil is heating up, line a baking pan with a wiring rack.
8. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Set aside.
9. On a large plate, mix together the breadcrumb, onion and garlic powder. Set aside.
10. Once the oil's temperature reaches 350F degrees, dip the rice ball into the egg then coat it with breadcrumb mixture.
11. Carefully drop it into hot oil and fry it until golden brown on all sides, about 1 minute.
12. Continue with the rest of rice balls, making sure to fry them in batches and keeping the temperature at 350F degrees.
13. Serve warm with honey mustard dipping sauce.

STORING: Because the rice balls are fried food, it's best to eat them the day they are made. Alternatively, keep them in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in a microwave. They won't be crunchy but still tasty.

Allergy Info: These rice balls are free from or can made without dairy, corn, legumes (peanuts and soy), nuts, and fish.