Lately the days seem to be just flying by. I think that happens when you have an impending move. I’m so excited to be trying out a different area of town, but moving is just so much work. You’d think I would have the hang of it by now with four moves in the past five years, but I definitely don’t.
So between that and all my summer travel lately, things have been a bit hectic. I’m actually in the air as I type this on my way home from Florida for a trip to see Ryan. We took the most fun daycation in St. Augustine and checked out a lot of cool places. I’m thinking a summer travel round-up needs to happen soon.
But back to the food—I’ve found myself gnawing on sea salt and vinegar kettle chips a lot lately, which I think has just become my new travel-struggles vice (on Saturday I woke up at 6:00 a.m. for a 5:30 a.m. flight—nice—and today was a long delay that gets me home a smidge late, but it’s all worth it!).
So I figure, what better recipe to post than a little variation on my travel snack? Sea Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips are a great substitution for my new fatty, carbo-loaded addiction. They are just as crispy and flavorful as the real deal but lighter and definitely healthier made with good-for-you fats and baked up in your own oven.
I’ve always been a big fan of kale chips — I can’t get over the way they crunch and then melt in your mouth — and this variation to my friend Melissa’s recipe (my personal go-to) is a perfect way to switch things up in the vegetable eating department.
- 1 bunch of curly kale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- Fine sea salt to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a wire roasting rack or even a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet (this allows moisture to drip down, keeping your chips crunchy).
- Wash and dry the kale completely (getting the kale dry is the trick to getting crisp chips, I like to roll/squeeze mine in a flour sack towel). Tear into bite size pieces and place in a gallon Ziploc bag.
- Add the olive oil, vinegar and sea salt and seal the bag tightly. Shake the bag until each leave is coated and ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Spread the kale into one even layer on the rack and bake for 15 minutes, turning half way through. Allow to cool, then dig in!

What are your favorite travel snacks or stress eating vices? Let me know in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
This is my favorite recipe for kale chips that I have found so far! I’m sharing it on my blog
Have you tried making them with siracha? That’s also pretty tasty if you like spicy! Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you so much, Ashley! Great idea with the Siracha, I think I will give that a try next.
how lovely! I want to make them! What do you think of adding lemon pepper powder instead of vinegar?
That sounds delicious, Lorena! Give it a try and let me know how it is : )
What kind of vinegar do you like to use most?
For this recipe I use apple cider or white, but balsamic is fun for a deeper flavor.