Coconut Kale Chips

A New Year's resolution of mine is to be more adventurous about cooking new foods. Case in point: on a whim, my husband purchased my son a fresh coconut at the market. "How will we open it?" my son asked later that evening, holding it high above his head in the kitchen. "We'll have to look it up on Youtube" my husband answered from the living room. But just then we heard a crash and "oops" and "it's leaking!" Problem solved.

The next question: what to do with all the fresh coconut meat? Much experimentation ensued, with our favorite outcome being these coconut kale chips. We love plain Jane kale chips in our household, but this version makes them even more addictive. I tossed the kale pieces and grated coconut in coconut oil and added a splash of soy sauce for saltiness. They were a fun vehicle for fresh coconut, but I'm sure they would work with unsweetened, dried coconut on a day when one wasn't able to commit to a whole fresh coconut adventure.

Coconut Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 cup shredded coconut (fresh or unsweetened dried)
2 tsp soy sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and place two rimmed cooking sheets in the warming oven.

2. Rinse the kale leaves, shake dry, remove the stems (I've found that the fastest way to do this is by running my fingers down the stem), and tear into bite sized pieces. Remove all moisture from the kale leaves with some more shaking, or in a salad spinner.

3. Remove the hot pans from the oven and place a Tbsp of coconut oil on each pan, sliding it around to allow it to melt. Then put half the kale and half the coconut on each pan. Drizzle each with a tsp of soy sauce and then toss the leaves on each sheet well to mix and coat with the coconut oil.

4. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes until the kale leaves have crisped and started to brown and the coconut has toasted. Remove and serve at once or store in an airtight container.