Sinning Siracha & Godly Garlic Kale Chips

For those of you wondering, can kale actually become even more awesome than a potato chip? The answer is yes. My roommate who does not eat ANYTHING green, and I'm not even exaggerating here, even she LIKED the kale chips. She ate more than one. I swear it was a miracle because this girl runs away just at the sight of veggies.

A friend back home actually requested that I experiment trying kale chips, the new and improved potato chip trend. And for those of you now wondering,  I do take requests. But you have to be special enough for me to actually honor your wishes. Mhmm, that's right. I have high standards.

Of cooourse I'm kidding.

Apparently I'm feeling sassy this morning so you're going to have to excuse my behavior. I'm always open to trying new recipes so email/text/comment/facebook/yell anything you want me to try.  Forreal guys and girls.

So I put on my thinking cap and walked over to my little bureau/pantry and looked for potential suitors for my kale chips. The garlic powder and siracha were the obvious winners so I made two different batches to see which seasoning I liked better!

In conclusion, I'm not sure which seasoning I liked better. Yup, I'm super helpful. The texture reminds me of the fragility of snowflake and the crunchiness of aluminum foil. Please don't go looking for such objects to eat. I really don't recommend doing so.  Flavor-wise, I don't think you can go wrong with garlicy goodness or siracha. So I would just say pick and choose your winner, or if you're indecisive like me, make em both!

Sinning Siracha Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon siracha

Kosher salt (to taste)

Godly Garlic Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Farenheit.
2. Wash your kale thoroughly before tearing the leaves apart from the middle rib of the kale leaf.  The center stem doesn't crisp up too well, so you only want the leaves. Tear the leaves into bite size pieces, about the size of a regular potato chip!
3. Make sure to properly dry your leaves. This step is crucial so that your chips are super crisp when they come out of the oven.
4. Drizzle the kale with olive oil and sprinkle the seasoning salt. Mix well so the individual pieces are properly coated.
5. Line the kale in one single layer on a baking sheet, and make sure not to overcrowd the pieces! Bake for about 10 minutes, flip, and bake again for another 10 minutes or until the entire chip is crispy. Expect the siracha kale chips to take longer to bake (~ additional 5 minutes)

Tip:

I actually used two trays for one bunch of kale because the leaves themselves have a large surface area. Telltale signs that your kale chips are done are when they become edges shrink up and the chip becomes brown-ish.  Your chips might actually take longer to become crispy so don't freak out if they are in the oven longer than I suggested. Also, I personally finished all my kale chips within a day, so double or triple the recipe if you want to feed more than one hungry girl.

Vegetarian Bahn Mi

Yikes. It's been A WHOLE MONTH since I've posted here and I'm really really really sorry. I honestly didn't forget but who knew 18 credits, two jobs, and various clubs would be so much work?!? And yes, I'm resorting to excuses so you'll pardon my unacceptable behavior. 

Anyways, this is a post that I've been dying to write because of how awesome the end product looks and tastes. It all started out when a friend texted me that he had just eaten some delicious banh mi. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I googled the recipe to educate myself on this traditional Vietnamese sandwich. Within the next hour I was on my way to the grocery store to pick up the necessary ingredients. Aaaaand the rest is history. 

Banh mi is a French-Vietnamese street-food, fusion sandwich that is made on a crisp baguette with picked veggies, cilantro, cold cuts, a Vietnamese mayo, and drizzled with soy sauce. Phew, I tried to pack a lot in that sandwich. I actually meant to type sentence, but I'm just going to leave it cause we can both chuckle at my typo together. Since I've never had an authentic bahn mi, or any type of bahn mi, I can't guarantee that my recipe is the classic. I did do some research so I know I'm not too far off, but what I can guarantee is that it is freaking awesome!!

What did I change? Well obviously I made a vegetarian version so I substituted egg instead of the most common filling, pork. I'm a huge lover of pickled things, so I pickled my carrots AND cucumber.  I actually tried pickling my carrots and cucumbers with honey and the cucumbers with sugar to add different tones of sweetness to my sandwich. Double the yummy-ness. I forgot to buy daikon, and the next time I make it, I'll definitely add pickled julienned daikon radish! I also added the cherry tomatoes and lettuce because I like my sandwiches to have a lot of filling. 

Also before you start reading the actual recipe, let's take this moment to drool over the pictures together. 

Vegetarian Banh Mi

Serving Size: Three sandwiches

1 French Baguette, halved

1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced English cucumber 
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 
2 tablespoons sugar

3 eggs 

4 romaine lettuce leaves
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Fresh cilantro

Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Mayo

1 tablespoon Siracha*
EVOO
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Once at desired temperature, place the halved french baguette on a baking sheet to toast. Let the baguette crisup up for approx 4-5 minutes and then cool for an additional 2 minutes before adding the toppings.
2. Place 1/2 peeled and shredded carrots, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Mix well and let sit for a minimum of  20 minutes before serving. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, thinly sliced cucumbers, and sugar and let the pickling begin! Once again let the cucumbers pickle for at least 20 minutes before assembling the sandwich.

4. Crack your eggs, and beat with a pinch of salt and pepper. Make three individual omelets in a small saucepan and make sure to use EVOO to coat the pan so the eggs slide right off! 

5. To make your siracha mayo, simply mix together the mayonnaise and the siracha. It's as easy as it sounds. Also if you want it less spicy don't add the full tablespoon of the siracha. 

6. Now take the toasted bread and cut the full  length of the bread into thirds. On each individual side apply the siracha mayo and drizzle the soy sauce. Lay down the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and  individual omelet on each sandwich. Now it's time to add the fancy toppings. Make sure to remove any excess liquid from the cucumbers and carrots before adding the pickled vegetables to your sandwich. Finally add fresh sprigs of cilantro before pressing the top half of baguette on the sandwich to seal the deal :)

Tip:

I would suggest doing the pickling (especially the cucumbers) several hours before serving. I did mine overnight so when it was time to assemble the sandwich, I was done in minutes.  I made note of this in the instructions as well, but if the mayo is too spicy, cut down on the amount of siracha you add. It packs a lot of heat in a small bite.

P.S. I also pickled onions with my cucumbers just for the heck of it. And you'll notice in my pictures I accidentally photographed parsley instead of the cilantro. Whoopsy daisy. At least I realized my error before it was time to eat!!