Swiss Chard - Quick Ideas For Use

Swiss chard is a versatile and beautiful green rich in color, flavor and nutrition.

It is great as a side or as a core ingredient in making main dishes heartier.

Similar to spinach and beets with a flavor that is bitter, pungent and slightly salty, Swiss chard is truly one of the vegetables with exceptionally impressive list of health promoting nutrients.

In a nutshell, Swiss Chard is:

• Low in saturated fat and cholesterol
• High in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper, Manganese, Thiamin, Folate and Zinc

Beyond its health benefits it is a highly flexible ingredient that you can incorporate into sandwiches, quiches, frittatas, and pastas.

Below are a few quick ideas for ways to use Swiss Chard:

• Sauté chard with garlic or shallot in olive oil. Put a cover on the pan and allow chard to steam for about 5 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice (and if desired, some hot pepper flakes) before serving.
• Blanch the leaves and add to soup
• Try substituting chard for spinach or arugula in soup or lasagna recipes
• Make a gratin with the stems: Boil the stems until tender (about 30 minutes). Put them in a gratin dish, add seasonings (such as a little garlic and parsley), top with a béchamel sauce and cook under broiler until golden brown.
• Blanch the whole leaves and stuff them with meat or vegetable fillings
• Add sautéed or blanched with pasta with toasted pine nuts, a good hard cheese and good olive oil
• Make a chard spanikopita
• Add to polenta, quinoia or rice dishes
  
• Braise chard and serve with white beans or lentils