Pinterest: Onion Rings

Here's the pin I used

I was making crock pot teriyaki chicken (review to follow), and it called for a half cup of onion.  So then I had half an onion left and nothing to do, since dinner was cooking itself.  I remember my mom mentioning she had made onion rings from pinterest the other day, and how she really loved them but it was a lot of effort.  
The truth: It's not a lot of effort and it's way worth it.  If that's the only thing you're doing.  If you're like my momma, and you're trying to make burgers, fixins, and onion rings, well...yeah.  It's hectic.

I haphazardly sliced my onion, try to aim for uniform slice thickness, unlike moi.  
I used italian bread crumbs instead of making my own.  The only thing I would suggest is adding more salt and pepper, maybe even some red pepper flakes?  Mmmm.

I used two baking racks to hold the rings, I put some paper towel underneath to catch any access batter from messing up the counter.

When it came down to frying, it was painless.  I used my electric deep fryer and a pair of chopsticks to add the rings in, flip them after a minute or two, and let them cook on that side too.  I like extra crunchy, so I actually dunked them under the oil for a few seconds as well to get a last second crunch in there.  I set them down on a few folded up paper towels.

It was so delicious, and such a quick snack.  We devoured them while doing homework during a lazy afternoon.  I put the ones we didn't eat in some tupperware and I'll set 'em under the broiler when I need a snack.

Healthy Snacking: Oven baked Kale Chips

If you were to ask any adult from my childhood, they would all laugh and tell you the same thing.  
I hate vegetables.
After graduating High School and realizing that I was a wee bit on the chunky side, I decided to try and change my attitude.
Try.
I still hate most vegetables.  Lettuce?  Fo'getta'bout it.  Celery?  Yeah no.  Cauliflower?  According to my boyfriend, it's like lettuce and broccoli had a baby.  That sounds like an abomination that needs to be stopped.
Somewhere along the line, I learned I can tolerate spinach as long as it's raw, and I can handle kale in smoothies.  Since moving out, I have relinquished ownership of my blender to my family, so smoothies are out.  I needed to find a new, healthy alternative to my snacking.

Kale chips!

So first thing's first.  You're gonna need Kale.

I got this from the produce section, it cost me about $1.50 or something like that.  It actually came with more, but that was like two batches of chips ago.  
As you can see, kale is leafy with a big stem.  The leaves are thin and bitter, the stalk is hard and very tough to chew.  
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit 

Get out your cutting board and a sharp knife.

Clearly a vegetable knife.

Just slice each side along the stalk.  Pretty easy stuff, minimal knife skills required.
You can just toss the stalk in the trash, or if you're environmental and whatnot, a compost pile.  

Here's where you want some consistency.  Pick what size you want your chips to be, and try and get each one roughly the same size.  If you have some tiny ones and some huge ones, they'll crisp at different rates.  I just tear mine up by hand and toss 'em into a bowl. 

Said bowl.

  











Now's the fun part.  Seasoning!  I usually stick with three: Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder.

Before you just start dumping seasoning on top of your kale, add a bit of olive oil.  You want JUST ENOUGH to lightly coat each leaf without drowning them.  If they're too wet, they won't crisp right.  
Then the seasoning.  Kale is pretty bitter, but if you salt it enough, it takes away most of the bite.  Then I pepper it, maybe about a teaspoon of pepper. MAYBE.  I never measure, so don't just dump a teaspoon of pepper in there please.  And then I sprinkle on some of the magic that is garlic powder.  Just enough to coat each leaf. 
Give it a toss with your fingers, gently enough not to smash and bruise the leaves, but enough to really mix it all up.

Now, because I'm lazy, I grab some foil and put it on a baking sheet.  Dump your kale on top, making sure to really spread it out.  It will shrink up in the oven, but there's no reason to layer them up.  

See?  Nice and spread out.  Now toss those puppies into the oven for 20 minutes.  
If you'd like, towards the end of that time, toss some cheese on top!  I usually do Parmesan if I'm going to at all.

20 minutes later...

See how much they've shrunk?  And they're delicate and crispy and amazing!
I had no idea how delicate they are.  They basically crumble in your mouth.  It's really weird.  Boyfriend is not a fan.  I popped one in his mouth and before he had even chewed he just goes "No." I might have laughed a little.  Okay a lot.

See all the delicious garlic, salt and pepper?  Amazing.
Either eat them hot or toss 'em in a container.  I baked these this morning before work, threw them in a Tupperware container and took them with me for a snack!

Good luck and happy healthy snacking!