Meatless Monday: Rainbow chard with a maple-vinegar drizzle

by Sarah Steimer

I love chard so very much, but for whatever reason I haven’t eaten much in the past few month. This salad brought my love for the green back with a vengeance, and it made sure I wouldn’t forget it again anytime soon.

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Grapefruit, avocado and chicken over greens

by Sarah Steimer

I made this salad right after my yoga class this past Sunday — so basically I felt like the world’s healthiest human ever. The fatty avocado and protein-rich chicken help pull the bitter greens and sour grapefruit back a few notches, right into the Perfection Zone.

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Wilted: Swiss chard with raisins and almonds

by Sarah Steimer

Chard become one of my favorite greens this summer, and I ate this open-face chard sandwich often. I read somewhere this year that chard would replace kale as the “trendy green” of 2013. That’s a ridiculous thing to say, but I do sort of hope that’s the case because I’d love to see chard on more restaurant menus.

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Meatless Monday: Cauliflower with curry butter and toasted cashews over basmati rice

by Caitlin Saniga

I’m discovering that you can sneak wilted greens into tons of dishes. This time around, I had some chard in the fridge that I needed to use soon, so I chopped it up and added it first thing to buttery curry. But I didn’t think of the intensity of the lime juice in the sauce. What I thought would be a simple bonus ingredient in this dish ended up being the star! The chard soaked up the tangy sauce, and while the cauliflower was tossed in the same mixture, it didn’t take on the same vibrant intensity, making for a nice balance. I was definitely happy with the result.

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown basmati rice
• medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into 1-inch florets
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry
• juice from 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 5 chard leaves, stems removed and sliced into pieces
• 3 tablespoons toasted cashews

In a medium sauce pan with a lid, combine the water, salt and rice, and bring to a boil. Stir once, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 50 minutes, untouched (That means no peaking!). Remove from heat and let stand, covered.

Cover the bottom of a medium pot with about 1 inch of water. Place a steamer basket in the pot, and add the cauliflower to the basket. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Cook the cauliflower about 7 minutes, or until the cauliflower becomes somewhat tender. Remove the pot from the heat, but keep it covered.

In a medium skillet, heat the butter with the curry, lime juice, chives and cilantro over medium heat. Stir to combine. Add the chard and cook until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Add the steamed cauliflower, and toss. Serve over the basmati rice, garnish with cashews.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

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Pasta with chard, parsnips and sausage

by Sarah Steimer

Now that it’s getting colder out, I’m not as willing to venture out at a moment’s notice for dinner ingredients. On those sorts of evenings, I go to my favorite recipe websites and search for dishes that use ingredients I already have in the apartment. We hope you use our site the same way!

• 1/2 pound pasta — I used whole-wheat spirals
• olive oil
• 1/2 pound sausage, casings removed
• 2 medium/large parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 5-6 Swiss chard leaves, stems removed and chopped with the leaves (no reason to discard the stems!)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, plus more to top

Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain the pasta and return to the pot, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage, breaking the meat up into smaller pieces, about 3 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer the sausage to the pasta.

Add the parsnips to the saute pan and cook until browned and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chard, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cook until wilted. Transfer this parsnip-chard mixture and the cheese to the pasta and toss, adding enough water to create a light sauce. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the pasta with the extra cheese, if you choose. Makes 2-3 servings.

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart

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Power Trio: BLT spring rolls with wasabi aioli

by Sarah Steimer

If you cut these spring rolls in half, they would make an awesome appetizer for a party. Nearly everyone (well, meat-eaters specifically) loves a BLT, and this spring roll version is a pretty unique spin. Plus the aioli is out of this world.

• 4 rice papers
• 2 cups cooked rice or bean noodles
• 3-4 large leaves Swiss chard, roughly chopped
• 1 regular tomato, cored and sliced thin (using just the flesh will allow for a less runny spring roll)
• 4 slices of thick bacon OR 8 slices of thin bacon, cooked

Dip one of the rice papers in warm water for about 10 seconds, getting both sides wet. Place the paper flat on a cutting board, allowing

I retained the traditional tomato and bacon for these rolls, but chose Swiss chard as my “lettuce.” Another good green would be spinach or even bok choy – which would make it a little more Asian-inspired.

about 1/2 – 1 inch to hang off the edge so it is easier to grab.  Layer the noodles, chard, tomato slices and bacon on the lower one-third of the roll. Use enough of each ingredient to evenly distribute everything among all four rolls – NOTE: You may not use all the noodles.

Starting at the bottom, pull the flap up and over the filling, tucking it underneath the ingredients. Fold the left and right sides over and continue to roll the paper and ingredients. Here is a helpful video if these directions are not clear.

Continue for all four rolls.

For the wasabi aioli

• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 1-2 teaspoons wasabi paste or powder
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Serve as a dipping sauce with the spring rolls.

Makes four spring rolls and a little more than 1/2 cup aioli.

* Power Trio is our July guide that features BLT recipe ideas — including bacon, leafy greens and tomatoes, minus the two slices of bread. See all of our Power Trio BLT recipes here.

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Open-face chard and mozzarella sandwich

by Sarah Steimer

I’ve been eating a variation of this sandwich for lunch for a few days now. This is one of the best breads I’ve used – it has walnuts, carrots and other interesting ingredients, from Bennison’s Bakery in Evanston, Ill.

• 2 slices of good bread
• olive oil
• 2 leaves of chard (any kind will do, I’ve used both rainbow chard and ruby chard)
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1-2 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2-4 slices fresh mozzarella

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the onions and garlic, cooking until fragrant.

Remove the stems from the chard leaves, cutting a bit into the leaf itself to remove some of the thicker stem/rib. Chop the stems into about 1/2-inch pieces. Add to to the pan with the onion and garlic, also adding the chopped tomatoes.

Roughly chop the chard leaves and add to the pan as well, adding salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients in the pan, allowing the leaves to cook down. Once the chard is wilted, remove from the heat.

Place the mozzarella cheese on the bread slices, then top with the chard mixture.

Makes one serving.

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Meatless Monday: Orecchiette with chard, mozzarella and fried chickpeas

by Caitlin Saniga

How cute is orecchiette pasta?! It's not the easiest to find in stores (I found Delallo brand at Kroger, if that helps), but I love how it cups the chickpeas and mozzarella cubes here.

• 1/2 pound orecchiette
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 cup drained canned chickpeas, patted dry (If you don’t make sure their at least pretty much dry, they cause quiet a stir when you add them to the hot oil. Water and hot oil don’t mix.)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 pound Swiss chard, stemmed and leaves coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 basil leaves, torn

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, in a medium, deep skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil until simmering. Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat until crisp, 4 minutes. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle with the cumin and coriander and season with salt and pepper. Discard the oil, and wipe out the skillet.

Add the olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper to the skillet. Cook over moderately high heat until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened, 3 minutes. Add the chard and cook, stirring, until wilted, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring until incorporated. Add the mozzarella and basil and toss. Spoon the pasta into bowls, sprinkle with the chickpeas and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Food & Wine

Photo: Caitlin Saniga

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