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Not terribly photogenic, but quite delicious. |
I don’t cook Swiss chard a lot, though when I make it, I’m always happy I have and wonder why I don’t make it more often. It’s a fast side for chops or chicken (chop/saute), tops rice beautifully, and fills an omelet like nothing else. Did I mention it’s gorgeous?
Last night, after a long day full of lectionary study, lunch out, children’s music meeting, and grocery shopping, I walked in the door not knowing what in the world I was doing with my Swiss Chard for today’s post. I also knew I wanted to be all done with dinner in time to watch the convention; I am, if nothing else, a sincere John Kerry fan. (And he was a superhero last night!! Yikes.) I scouted around the kitchen trying to think what else could go in that pan and what I came up with was luscious–sparky with the apple cider vinegar-red pepper combination and crunchy with the added green apples, shallots, and chard stems. A nice drizzle of local honey evened out the whole thing. We ate it with some cold chicken and a slice of German vollkornbrot (whole grain bread) with a bit of sharp cheese.
Once in a while, just for grins, I write a recipe using only photographs and captions. This is so simple, let’s see if I can accomplish it:
vinegar-chard with apples, shallots, and honey
makes 4 small servings
Cook’s Note: Wash chard very thoroughly before preparation.
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Remove stems from 1 bunch of Swiss chard (1 – 1.5#) and slice thinly. Set aside. Roll up chard leaves and slice into 1/2″ pieces. |
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Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep saute pan over medium heat. Add pinch crushed red pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, and cook one minute. |
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Stir in one minced shallot, reserved chard stems, and 1/2 a chopped Granny Smith apple with skin. Sprinkle with a generous pinch each of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. |
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Let cook a minute or two, stirring, until a bit softened. |
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Toss in chopped chard. Season with a little more salt and pepper. Stir. |
Low in calories and vitamin-dense (C, K, A, B), Swiss chard comes from the same family as beets and is also called silverbeet. Full of antioxidants, it’s a cancer-fighter and usable in all of the ways you use spinach. A great addition to your shopping cart, saute pan, or soup pot, with its store of various minerals (including iron) it’s also a nutritional powerhouse. Young chard makes great salad. Read more here.
If you like this, you might also like this week’s post on my blog, Dinner Place — Cooking for One:
ratatouille-steamed salmon with jasmine rice and spinach
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Could have used young, chopped chard. |
I blog with a great group of food writers on Fridays as we cook our way through the list of foods from Whole Living Magazine’s Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients:
Read more about Swiss chard this week at these sites:
Sarah – Everything in the Kitchen Sink
Anabanana – adobodownunder.blogspot.com
Alanna – http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/
.
Join us:
If you’re interested in joining the gang writing each week, get in touch with Mireya from My Healthy Eating Habits: Mireya@MyHealthyEatingHabits.com
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two-dog kitchen and around the ‘hood
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Finches have another brood. Here parent eats while baby waits above at my kitchen window feeder. |
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Feed me, fast! |
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Gorgeous Thai eggplants (1.5″) from the St. Paul farmer’s market–used it in the salmon and ratatouille above. |
Sing a new song,
Alyce
Sure sounds like a great Sunday brunch omelette filling.Your dogs look so sweet. I bet they look up at you with sad eyes when your in the kitchen cooking.
@Mireya Thanks; I love chard. How did your recipe turn out? I'll have to go back and see if it's posted yet. Re dogs: They're under my feet tripping me half the time!
Super delicious way to use the greens. And those egg plants ! I can think of so many ways to use them. love them. The sharp cheese must have really paired well with the chard!!
@Ansh. I bet you can! Tell me a couple!
I never would have thought of Swiss chard and omelets and it does sound like a wondeful idea.
@Chaya/Casey: Greens..omelet: yummy! Happy weekend.
What a fun read. Loved the photo-recipe guide. My golden loves to hang out in the kitchen with me too, so much so I've begun to call her my sous chef!
@Martha: Said golden's name? (Ours are Miss Gabby and Tuck[er])