Morally Troubling

The Omnivore's Dilemma--Michael Pollan
"...how quickly you can get used to anything, especially when the people around you think nothing of it. In a way, the most morally troubling thing about killing chickens is that after a while it is no longer morally troubling."

"Another thing cooking is, or can be, is a way to honor the things we're eating, the animals and plants and fungi that have been sacrificed to gratify our needs and desires, as well as the places and the people that produced them."

"...imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things:  What it is we're eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what, in a true accounting, it really cost.  We could then talk about some other things at dinner.  For we would no longer need any reminding that however we choose to feed ourselves, we eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we're eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world."

The Hungry Soul--Leon Kass "to preserve their life and form living things necessarily destroy life and form.'"

McDougall's Baked Kale Chips

  

Fresh kale leaves

Seasonings as desired (see hints below)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Wash the kale well and leave some of the water clinging to the leaves. Strip the leaves from the thick stems and cut into uniform sized pieces. (Mine are usually about 2 x 2 inches.) Place on a non-stick baking sheet or on top of parchment paper on a regular baking sheet and sprinkle with seasonings of your choice (do not oil the pan or spray kale with oil). Bake for about 30 minutes until crispy. Store in a tightly covered container to keep them crispy; they taste best the day that they are made.

Hints from Mary McDougall: I usually sprinkle mine with Parmesan cheese substitute (see the June 2010 newsletter) and some red pepper flakes. Try spraying them with a light coating of Bragg Liquid Aminos or balsamic vinegar before baking, or just a light dusting of sea salt. They are easy to re-crisp if you don’t eat them all right away, just put them back in the oven for a short time.