It took me some time to become a fan of kale. When I was a kid, it hadn’t yet been popularized by the clean-eating crowd, so my dad never grew it. As an adult, every time I bought a bundle at the grocery store, it seemed overly chewy and fibrous—one of those vegetables you’re supposed to eat because they’re good for you but you don’t really enjoy. It wasn’t until I started growing kale in my own garden and harvesting young, tender leaves that I became hooked on its many varieties.

As I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, an easy way to make kale crisp and chewable—whether the leaves are young and soft, larger and fibrous, or starting to wilt in the fridge—is to roast it. Even the toughest leaves take on a delicate, crispy texture once you remove them from their ribs and bake them as chips. They’re so fragile that when the chip container is empty, tiny flakes remain behind, along with some of the sesame seeds I used as seasoning. I sprinkle these on popcorn to savor every last bite.

Learn more about homemade vegetable chips and get the complete recipe for Oven-Roasted Kale Chips in my column.

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Twice as Tasty

Before I learned to roast kale for chips, I picked up one other trick that was a kale-munching game changer: massage it. Pull the kale leaves from the center rib, toss them in a bowl with a splash of lemon or lime juice and a pinch or two of salt, and work the leaves with your fingers for a couple of minutes. Large, tough leaves cook more evenly if you first soften them in this way. Massaging softens small, tender leaves enough that you can enjoy them raw.

Excited about cooking with kale? Here are just a few other recipes on the blog to which I often add massaged kale. You can find more in the recipe index.

• Shrimp and Green Vegetable Risotto
• Pizzas made with Sourdough Pizza Dough and Grilled Tomato Pizza Sauce
• Spring Pasta and Fresh Mozzarella Salad
• Pumpkin–Goat Cheese Ravioli with Butter–Nut Sauce
• Warm Quinoa and Feta Salad
• Taco Salad
• Seasoned Pot Beans

You can also learn more about making other crispy, savory snacks in last week’s blog post.

Want more Twice as Tasty recipes? Get my books! Click here to order a personally signed, packaged, and shipped copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling directly from me. I also share tasty ways to use pickles in The Pickled Picnic; it’s only available here.