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Showing posts with label Swiss chard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swiss chard. Show all posts

Swiss chard and strawberry spinach smoothie

I have rarely posted to beetsuite this summer, being occupied with gardening and garden construction. This chard smoothie is a sample of the results of my hard labour.


Swiss chard
Strawberry spinach
Mint


                                            Yield: 1 cup, approximately

Ingredients:
6 fresh chard leaves with stems, each leaf about the size of your palm
1 handful fresh strawberry spinach stems
6 stems fresh mint
1 Kiwi fruit
¼ cup aloe vera juice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:
1. Pick chard, spinach and mint fresh from your garden. Clean the garden produce by washing  outdoors in fresh water, thus leaving any livestock, such as ants and spiders, outside to continue their work.

2.  Slice or tear chard leaves and stems into 5 c. (2 in.) chunks and place them in a blender.

3. Remove leaves and seed balls from strawberry spinach. Add them to the blender. Discard stems.

4. Remove leaves from mint stems. Discard stems. Place leaves in blender.

5. Peel Kiwi fruit. Slice into rounds and add to blender.

6. Add aloe vera juice and olive oil. Blend on 'High' until the ingredients are pureed.

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Swiss chard and mustard greens smoothie


You'll find this chard smoothie has a predominant pepper flavour. It provides a light, cooling break from your yard work. It's just in time to bring relief from the mid-afternoon temperatures that have begun to feel spring-like. 


Swiss chard and mustard greens smoothie

                                               Yield: 1 smoothie

Ingredients:
2 white Swiss chard leaves, stalks removed
2 - 3 large mustard green leaves, stalks removed
1 - 2 handfuls seedless green grapes, stems removed
1 - 2 stalks clery
¼ cup cold water
Garnish: 3 green grapes

Swiss chard, mustard greens, celery, and seedless green grapes

Preparation:
1. Clean the fruits and vegetables.

2.  Place 1 - 2 handfuls of seedless green grapes and ¼ cup water into the blender. Puree.

3. Slice the leaves of chard and mustard greens into 1 cm. (½ in.) slices.  Add to the blender contents. Puree.

4. Cut the celery stick(s) into 2.5 cm. (1 in.) chunks. Add to the blender. Puree.

5. Pour into a glass. Garnish with seedless grapes.*

* In summer, wash and freeze grapes before blending them. This smoothie becomes very cooling and slurpy-ish.
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Moroccan chard with lamb

Fresh lamb is readily available in the shops during this spring season. Many prefer lamb to ham for Easter meals. 

If you liked the Moroccan chard recipe, you'll love this dish. It comes to you courtesy of a Moroccan colleague who liked my Moroccan chard recipe. He strongly recommended using vegetable oil because of the high temperature required for searing the lamb. I, however, do not use vegetable oil. I noted his instructions but adapted the ingredients to my own taste. I used coconut oil in this, my own version of the dish he described.

Moroccan chard with lamb, steaming hot and fresh from the pan

                                                                              Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 lamb chops
2 large red-stalked chard leaves, washed
2 large white-stalked chard leaves, washed
1½ cups red onion, diced small
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground paprika
¼ teaspoon ground red (cayenne) pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil
fresh ground sea salt
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


Preparation:

1. Slice the stalks away from the washed chard leaves. Slice the stalks, crosswise, into 5 mm. (¼ in.) slices. Set aside.

Chopped chard
2. Slice the chard leaves crosswise, to produce strips about 1 cm. (less than ½ in.) wide. Then roughly chop these strips crosswise. Set aside.








3. Slice away and discard the fat from four lamb shops. Pare the meat from the bones. Slice the meat into bite-sized pieces. 

4. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the diced red onion. Saute over low heat for about 3 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the sliced chard stalks, cayenne, black pepper, cumin and paprika.  Cook over medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes. 

Sauteed red onion and chard stalks

5. Remove contents of the saute pan to a heat-proof holding dish.

6. Return the saute pan to the heat. Add the coconut oil and raise the heat to high. Add the chopped lamb and the bones to the sizzling hot coconut oil. Sear the chunks of lamb on all sides to seal in the juices, then reduce the heat to medium and fry for up to 5 minutes, until the inside is still slightly pink. 

Seared lamb

7. Add the contents of the heat-proof dish to the saute pan and heat through.

8. Add the sliced chard leaves and cook without stirring until leaves are wilted. Add sea salt to taste.

Chard slices wilting over seared lamb, chard stalks
and red onion


9. Remove from the heat and turn out into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
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Moroccan chard

All the nutritional benefits of Swiss chard are captured in this lightly sautéed, flavourful dish. The recipe produces enough for one person, therefore, you should increase the quantities in accordance with the number of adults who will be eating.

Moroccan chard

                                                                                   Yield: 1 serving

Sliced chard stems and leaves,
paprika, cayenne, cumin
and lemon
Ingredients:

2 large chard leaves with stalks, washed
1 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup vegetable or poultry stock
 large pinch of fresh ground black pepper
 large pinch of ground cumin
 large pinch of ground paprika
 large pinch of ground red (cayenne) pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice



Preparation:

1.  Slice the stems away from the washed chard leaves. Slice the stems crosswise, into 1 cm. (smaller than ½ in.) slices.

2. Slice the leaves crosswise, to produce strips about 1 cm. (less than ½ in.) wide.

2.  In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the minced garlic. Stir and cook until the garlic releases its fragrance. 

3. Add the sliced chard stems and vegetable or chicken stock. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 3 minutes..

4. Add spices. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

5. Add sliced leaves. Stir until leaves are wilted. Cover and simmer for 1 minute. Remove the cover and continue cooking for 2 minutes. 

6. Remove from heat and turn out into a small bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
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Nutritional value of beets - Part 14: Swiss chard


Swiss chard leaf

Swiss chard, or simply 'chard', is part of the beet family (beta vulgaris). Indeed, beet greens and Swiss chard are often said to be the best-of-the-best high-quality, nutrient-dense super foods available. 

Chard is eaten for its leaves, not the root.  The leaves were the main value of beets, also, a few thousand years ago; however, over time, we have come to use the beet root as well. 

Swiss chard is known by other names: mangold, crab beet, silverbeet, spinach beet, perpetual spinach, and seakale beet. The latter, seakale, is often said to be the original plant which, through cultivation, gave rise to the modern beet root. Seakale can still be found growing wild in some areas by the Mediterranean Sea.

The name Swiss chard appears to have originated only in the nineteenth century. It is believed by some that the moniker Swiss was added to the name chard in order to distinguish chard from the French word for spinach. I doubt this since that word is epinard. More likely, 'Swiss' distinguishes this chard from another similar plant name pronounced much like chard at that time, perhaps carde, which was the French name for another chard-like vegetable, cardoon. Cardoon somewhat resembles celery but is related to artichokes.


Swiss chard is found to be a rich source of Vitamins A, C and K, plus dietary fibre, minerals, protein, carotenoids, and folic acid. When eaten raw, it is an excellent source of enzymes.

This Table contains only those values for nutrients present in the highest quantities in chard. For a more extensive list of nutrients and their associated values, please refer to the USDA National Nutrient database.

The nutritional values of Swiss chard are most abundantly represented in the following listed vitamins, phyto-nutrients and minerals:

Swiss chard: raw and cooked
Measure: 1 cup (36g)raw [7 calories] 
                1 cup (175g) cooked [35 calories]

Principle
Nutrient value
raw
 Nutrient value
cooked
2202 IU
10717 IU
10.8 mg
31.5 mg
298.8 mcg
572.8 mcg
Calcium
18 mg
102 mg
29 mg
150 mg
136 mg
961 mg
Sodium
77 mg
313 mg
Lutein + zeaxanthin
3960 mcg
19276 mcg
1313 mcg
6391 mcg

IU = International Units; mg = milligram; mcg = microgram

Some food writers warn that Swiss chard is an unhealthy vegetable choice because it has a substantial sodium content. Obviously, these writers have not thought this through. When you examine the table above, you see that the sodium content is more than balanced by the potassium content. The sodium/potassium pump is well provisioned by Swiss chard.

No Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is provided. For a broad overview of one of the new, incomplete standard measures that have replaced the RDA, check out Dietary Reference Intake .

Recipes using Swiss chard:




If you found this post useful, you may also wish to follow these links to find additional information on the health benefits of beets:

Table of nutritional values of raw beet root

Phyto-nutrients: betaine

Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL)

Phytochemicals
Table of nutritional values of raw beet greens
Vitamin A (Beet greens - raw)
Vitamin C (Beet greens - raw)
Vitamin K (Beet greens - raw)
Potassium (Beet greens - raw)
Magnesium (Beet greens - raw)
Manganese (Beet greens - raw)
Table of nutritional values of cooked beet root
Carotene-B

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Swiss chard omelette

The whole Swiss chard leaf is used in this omelette. Because fibre is essential for a healthy dietary, reserved stems from other chard leaves are added to bulk up the fibre content.

Swiss chard omelette

Fibre is a complex carbohydrate composed of a sugar molecule attached to other non-sugar molecules. Most dietary fibre is indigestible. Of that portion which is soluble, the carbohydrate released is not the type that provides energy. Rather, it is pectin, which is good for your heart.


            Yield: 1 omelette
Clockwise: Swiss chard leaf and
 sliced stalks, eggs, garlic,
and celeriac stalks

Ingredients:
1 Swiss chard stalk 
2 celeriac stalks, leaves intact
1 garlic clove, peeled, minced
small handful chopped Swiss chard stalks
2 eggs, whipped
2 tablespoons tomato salsa
2 tablespoons tomato paste
        ¼ teaspoon ghee
¼ teaspoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon Balkan yoghurt



Preparation:

1. Wash and spin dry vegetables. 

2. Remove central stalk from Swiss chard leaf. Clean 3 or 4 other Swiss chard stalks. Thinly slice Swiss chard stalks to produce a quantity of about 1 cup. Reserve.

3. Slice celeriac stalks and leaves in the same manner. Reserve.

4. In a non-stick saute pan over low heat, cook minced garlic in melted ghee and coconut oil until it releases fragrance ( about 1 minute). Add sliced Swiss chard stalks and celeriac stalk slices. Saute for about 5 minutes.

Swiss chard stalks, celeriac stalks, and garlic in saute pan


5.Raise heat to medium. Pour in whipped eggs. 

6. Slice Swiss chard leaves crosswise into 1 cm. (½-in.) strips. In a separate pot with steaming basket, lightly steam slice chard for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Place steamed Swiss chard slices in a separate covered bowl.
Sliced Swiss chard leaf


7. Cook omelette until egg is almost set. Slide a spatula around the rim of the omelette to prevent adherence. Shake the pan to ensure that omelette is loose. Flip omelette over to cook the top side for a few minutes. 

Flip omelette over again. Spread steamed Swiss chard over half of the omelette. Fold the uncovered omelette half over the steamed Swiss chard. Lift onto a serving plate.

8. Add salsa to tomato paste. Stir. Add tomato paste and yoghurt to serving plate.

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Minty Swiss chard smoothie

Minty Swiss chard smoothie


Swiss chard is part of the beet family of vegetables. In this smoothie, I have used what is commonly known as rhubarb Swiss chard; 'rhubarb' because of the betain-saturated red stalk. It certainly tastes nothing like rhubarb.

Make a complete small meal of this smoothie by adding a teaspoon of olive oil and ¼ cup of tofu for the protein portion. You can punch up the flavours even more by adding a peeled, ripe, green Kiwi fruit.


                                               Yield: 2 cups, approximately

Ingredients:
1 Swiss chard leaf
fresh mung bean sprouts, 1 - 2 cups
½ Granny Smith apple, washed, chunked
½ avocado, peeled
½ fresh lime, peeled
a handful of fresh mint leaves
¼ cup cold water


Clockwise: Swiss chard, mint, bean sprouts, lime,
avocado, and Granny Smith apple

Preparation:
1. Clean the fruits and vegetables.

2.  Place the bean sprouts and ¼ cup water into the blender. Puree the sprouts.

3. Cut away the central rib of the Swiss chard leaf, keeping the dark green leaf portions. Slice these into pieces about 2.5 cm. (1 in.) wide.  Place the  slices into the blender. Puree.

4. Cut the unpeeled apple half into chunks. Remove core and seeds. Add the apple chunks to the blender.

5. Cut ½ of the lime. Using a sharp paring knife, sever the pulp away from the skin. Discard the skin. Cut the pulp into chunks and add them to the blender. 

6. Add the flesh of ½ avocado and a handful of fresh mint leaves. Blend on 'High' until the ingredients are pureed.

Decant into two glasses.

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