At work today, Sean and I ventured down to the cafeteria for lunch. As I was skimming the salad bar, whining that there were no beets for the 3rd day in a row, I suddenly heard Sean proclaim, “Veggie plate!”
Score.
For $4.49, we got to choose four different prepared vegetables. The lady serving at the hot bar must have thought that Sean and I:
a.) Need to gain weight
b.) Have a vitamin deficiency
c.) Should be put in a food coma so that we couldn’t work this afternoon, or
d.) all of the above.
This plate of food was meant for a small army.
Steamed broccoli, carrots, and snap peas, Brussels sprouts, butter beans, fried okra
Sean glanced at my plate and asked, “You like okra?”
Me: “Nope. I liked fried okra.”
Sean: “So you like clogged arteries.”
Me: “Ew.”
Okra any other way is just nasty. Call me a distant relative of Paula Dean, but there are just some vegetables that taste better fried:
- okra
- potatoes
- pickles…err, cucumbers
Other than my fascination with frickles, I really don’t like fried food. It isn’t heart healthy and usually kills most of the vegetable’s nutrients. In an attempt to balance out my fried okra feast (oh, and the cookies), I made a healthy vegetable snack that afternoon.
Baked Kale “Chips”
- 1 bunch of kale, washed and patted dry
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- salt, to taste
To make the kale chips, I removed the stems and tore the leaves into bite-sized pieces. 
While I was getting my tear on, I found a dead ladybug. Ladybugs are supposed to be good luck, but dead ones? Um…
After the lady bug’s funeral service/burial in my trash can, I finished preparing the kale. In a bowl, I tossed it with olive oil, spread it on my Silpat-covered baking sheet, and sprinkled it with garlic and salt. I placed it in the oven that had been preheated to 350*. 
Baked kale chips are done when they have reached your desired crispiness and the leaves start to brown. Be careful! It burns easily. You can eat the kale as is, or, if you’re as ketchup obsessed as I am, dip those chips!
So, I have to ask your opinion.
How do you like your favorite vegetable prepared? You all know I cannot get enough of roasted beets.
Which vegetables do you like better fried? Just admit it. I promise not to tell. 
