So even though I said I was going to take baby steps on this whole “eating better” thing, I just couldn’t resist pushing the envelope a little. If you read LifeasMOM, you already know that we signed up for a CSA trial last week. Four weeks to test out what we think about being “forced” to make good use of fresh, organic produce.
Last week’s basket was pretty standard fare, including lettuce, melons, grape tomatoes, zucchini, avocados, carrots, string beans, cilantro, oranges, and apples. The strange bird in the flock was the swiss chard.
I had never eaten chard, let alone cooked with it before last week. I had asked around on facebook and twitter, looking for fans. And there are plenty of people out there who love chard.
If you’re a chard newbie, walk along with me on my adventures with chard. It’s kinda weird, two vegetables in one. There’s a celery-like stalk and spinach like leaves. Both are edible.
I washed it all well. It’s kinda gritty. And then separated the stems from the leaves.
I had done some chard research and found two interesting recipes, one from Martha and one from Bon Appetit. I used Martha’s cooking method with Bon Appetit’s ingredients list.
That night we had salmon, rice pilaf, sauteed chard, and sweet corn. A very yummy combination.
One bunch of chard was a lot for our family. So, I didn’t cook all the leaves, but stored them in a paper towel-lined ziploc bag. I used a few handfuls later in this vegetable saute.
Mixed Vegetable Sauté
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 russet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 bunch swiss chard chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels no need to thaw
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat the oil until shimmering. Add the potato and garlic. Cook, covered, over medium heat until potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the chard and corn, tossing to coat. Cook until the chard is withered and the corn is hot.
- Toss in the tomatoes and cook just until hot. Serve immediately.
