Healthy and Beautiful Swiss Chard Recipes

Food I Love to Cook and Eat…

Rainbow Swiss Chard Recipes

Rainbow Swiss Chard is a beautiful technicolor mixture of shades of red, orange, purple, yellow and white. Very colorful, tender and tasty. It makes a great edible ornamental. Buy seed at Terrior Seeds. Nutritional information: 1 cup of Swiss Chard contains 7 calories, 0g fat, 1g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 1g protein. It is one of the super foods  people are always talking about!!

From The Platform: Swiss Chard’s thick, crunchy stalk and hardy, wide leaves have a taste what most would describe as “half spinach, half beet”. Chard is chock-full of vitamins and minerals, especially magnesium, which can relax muscles and boost levels of mood-lifting serotonin in the body. Plus, it’s a great source of iron for vegetarians who may not be getting enough without eating meat.

I so love it…well, I love all leafy greens and a spring side dish with all the colors of the rainbow is just beautiful, I could not pass this up in the farmer’s market. So how do we prepare Swiss chard?  It’s pretty simple…sauté the stalks for a few minutes then add the leaves and sauté until just wilted . Makes a great side dish.

Rainbow Swiss Chard Sauté

1 pound rainbow Swiss chard, washed and thoroughly dried
2 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Heat olive oil until shimmering. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add it to a sauté pan. Sauté the garlic over medium heat until it becomes golden.

Chop the stems into small pieces and add to the oil. Toss and add a few drops of water. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes. Gently tear the leaves while the stems cook.  Add the leaves to the pan. Stir and sauté until just wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Pasta with Swiss Chard and Mushrooms

I fell in love with this recipe from Tree Hugger dot com. I am not a vegetarian, but I do love veggie meals more often now. This is such a filling and complete dinner, you won’t even miss the meat. I adapted the Tree Hugger recipe just a tad.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
20 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
8 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed, roughly chopped
1 – 2 sprigs fresh oregano or thyme
Parmesan cheese for garnish

In a medium sized skillet, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook at medium-low heat until translucent, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute.

Add mushrooms and increase heat slightly. Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add tomatoes and spices and cook until heated through. Add Swiss chard and cook until just wilted, just a couple of minutes.

Serve over al dente pasta with some crusty French bread and white wine!!!

I always save my favorite until last…don’t you?

Goat Cheese and Swiss Chard

photo from The Leftover Queen dot com

Chevre, or goat cheese is my absolute favorite cheese…bar none!! I, of course, fell in love with it as a teenager on my first trip to France. It is so creamy and pungent. This recipe is adapted from one I found on The Leftover Queen’s blog. She decided that the Cherve would taste really good coated in breadcrumbs, pan-fried and served with some sautéd baby swiss chard leaves. Coupled with some fresh baked bread and a nice glass of red wine, it is an amazing dinner for one or two.

4 thick slices of Chevre
homemade breadcrumbs
1 egg beaten with 2 T. of water
pinch of tarragon
pinch of thyme
olive oil
*note*: dip the cheese in an egg wash to help the breadcrumbs adhere better to the cheese.

Heat olive oil until shimmering in sauté pan.

On a small plate mix breadcrumbs and herbs.

Coat the cheese slices with an egg wash then coat each with the spice mixture.

Gently place each slice in the sauté pan. Pan fry until golden, flip and keep frying until the other side is golden.

Serve this dish by placing the chevre next to a pile of sauteed swiss chard and drizzle the whole dish with the pomegranate-balsamic reduction. Serve with nice crusty bread and red wine.