Juniper Disco

Vegetables are gross. They smell gross. They taste gross. They look gross. And they have long been my arch-nemesis. I have gagged on them. I have thrown them up. I have hidden them under other things on my plate. I have fed them to the dog. I have pushed them on the floor.

My mother used to make me sit at the dining room table until I finished them. I would sit there for hours. Hours. I would have sat there for days if necessary. Because I was not going to eat them. At some point, we worked out a compromise where I would eat a pea for each year I was alive. When I turned 10, it was more than I could handle. 

So now that I am an adult, I still hate them. And I am convinced I am a supertaster, which no one seems to be buying, despite the clear evidence that I am, too, a supertaster! But — and here’s the really important part — I am trying to find some I like or some way of preparing them that I can tolerate. Enter the chip. I like chips!

I found instructions here for making veggie chips and tried both options they suggested: fennel and kale. And, guess, what? I like them. 

For the kale chips, I used smoked olive oil and Maldon smoked salt, skipping the parmesan and hot pepper flakes.