I’ll join the chorus of juice cleanse advocates – detoxing has its benefits. It’s not a miracle cure, and it’s not for everyone. And yes, as skeptics point out, when it comes to removing toxins, that’s what your liver is for.
But a short-term cleanse with a healthy mix of fruits and vegetable juices didn’t just make me feel more energetic and lose a few pounds. I ran into a friend two days after I finished my regimen and she asked what I had been doing to look so much better. Not bad for a 3-day investment.
One thing I did miss during the juice cleanse: chewing food. Especially chips. Since I’m not about to pollute my de-toxed body with Pringles again, I asked my sister-in-law Patty for her recipe for kale chips. Patty is an incredibly talented painter who lives on 20 acres in Vermont (this is her painting).
Her enthusiasm about sustainability and organic food and living off the land is contagious - though I did draw the line when a bird rammed into her window and thumped to the ground one night, and Patty wondered whether we should have it for dinner.
But her kale chips are delicious:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Remove the stems from kale, and tear into large pieces.
- Wash enough kale to layer on a baking sheet (about ½ bunch), and let it dry completely.
- Toss about ½ TB of extra virgin olive oil with the leaves.
- Sprinkle mixture of 1 tsp garlic powder, ¾ tsp chili powder, ¾ tsp paprika and ½ tsp fine grain sea salt on the leaves, and toss.
- Spread the leaves in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the sheet and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
I just noticed kale is also in o2Living's new juice, Pineapple punch. Snack time!