Collard Chips

 

I've seen  the recipes and I've seen the bagged ones,  but never have bought them or tasted them. 

Kale Chips     

How bad could it be?  I've baked broccoli and brussel sprouts. I liked the outcome of those two experiments and didn't want to be disappointed with kale.

BUT!

My friend E.P. has a small garden and offered me  some of her collard greens which I gladly accepted. They were young and tender. I decided to try Alton Brown's,  Baked Greens Chips I'd seen at the Food Network site. His recipe uses all sorts of "hearty" greens. Collards was on the list as a hearty green.

A. Wash and dry greens thoroughly

B. Lay parchment paper on a baking sheet.

C. Tear greens into 2 inch pieces and lightly coat with olive oil and         salt. ( I chose to tear  the greens from the stems and save them.)            

D. After following the directions and baking them, I allowed them

     to cool. I tried to eat them but they disintegrated. 😲 

No texture or strength. The consistency of paper after it turns to

     ashes. I tried a second batch and tweaked the cooking time. Same

     thing. 

CONCLUSION: This may have worked had the collard green leaves 

     been thicker and more mature. 

     

                      I AM NOT TO BE DEFEATED !!!!

     

I have those tender stems. So, what did I do?

It wasn't a complete loss. 

That's it ***

Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust (copied from the -lowcarb-diet.com)

Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 3 oz. tomato sauce I used Hunt’s Tomato Sauce

Special Equipment

• Grater or Food Processor

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 and line a pizza pan with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, rice (grate) the head of cauliflower with a grater or food processor.
3. Microwave riced cauliflower for 5 minutes and let cool for at least 5 minutes.
4. Once cooled, wrap cauliflower in a thin kitchen towel and wring moisture from cauliflower.
5. Mix egg, ½ cup of cheese, 2 teaspoons of oregano and 2 teaspoons of dried basil with riced cauliflower.
6. Pat cauliflower mix on lined pizza pan and place into oven for 25 minutes.
7. Spoon tomato sauce, sprinkle ½ cup cheese, and add desired toppings. Place back into oven and cook for 5-8 minutes or until toppings have melted.

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 Slice (Entire pizza cut into 8 slices)
Protein 5.34g, Carbs 3.45g, Fiber 1.43g -- NET CARBS: 2.02g

                                            xxxxx

The recipe didn't say what type of cheese to use. My Italian friends have taught me to

use only Mozzarella cheese. Orange cheese is a No, no!👆

 

Mix in the seasonings and other ingredients.

FAILED. Not what I expected. Obviously.

Though I followed the directions, here's what I'd do differently next time.
1. Add a little salt to the cauliflower mixture.
2. I wouldn't spread the mixture as thin as I did.
3. Reduce the cooking time and/or watch the crust as it cooks.

Though this is a FAIL⊗, I'll be trying it again in the future.
That's it***

next time: Keto Ice Cream

COLLARD CHIPS
 A neighbor gave me a bunch of collards the day before Thanksgiving. I'd recently cooked fresh turnip greens but didn't want the collards to go to waste. I'd heard of kale chips so I thought I'd scout the NET for collard chips. It didn't take long until I found a recipe. One person had described how delicious these vegetable chips are and so I decided to find out for myself.

INGREDIENTS
2-4 collard leaves
1 tsp olive oil (or use olive Misto sprayer)
pinch salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Prepare collard leaves by washing, patting dry, and removing leaves from stem. Tear leaves with hands into 3-4 inch pieces.

3.Lay in a single layer on parchment paper.  BTW Use of the olive oil was never mentioned anywhere in the recipe. I consulted another recipe which told me to pour and toss the oil over the greens which I did.

4. Bake for seven minutes, then flip leaves. Bake for 5 minutes more, then check leaves. Remove any that are crispy, return any that are limp to the oven. Be careful not to overcook or they will turn brown and bitter.


This is what happens when you put the leaves back in for the addtional 5 minutes.

LET'S TRY THAT ONE MORE TIME AND THIS TIME WATCH IT AND DON'T LET IT BURN




The second batch turned a little brown around the edges but none cooked evenly. I removed them from the oven at this point.


5. Sprinkle collard chips with salt or other preferred seasonings.
6. Serve immediately.

This recipe was a bust. I didn't like the flavor of the"chips" at all. The crisp part mingled with the not so crisp part made for an unpleasant culinary experience. There could have been a mixup with me and the instructions. I disliked this recipe so much that the chance of me trying it again are size zero slim. I am not willing to try an alternative recipe either. There was no real way to evenly cook the leaves. A lower oven temp and placing another sheet of parchment on top of the leaves and flattening them with an ovenproof heavy object to keep them flat might have helped.

I have had good success baking root vegetables such as turnip bottoms,carrots and rutabagas.   Though collards appear thick in their raw form, I think they are too delicate to hold up to the heat in an oven.
I didn't use the entire bunch of collards. Instead I finished cleaning the rest and prepared them in the traditional manner.
THAT'S IT