Better Than Kale

... better tasting to me anyway (milder taste than kale)! We received a bunch of Swiss chard in our CSA this week, so I turned to www.allrecipes.com again and found just what I was looking for. Ron said he was skeptical when he came home and saw it, but was very surprised. We both went back for seconds, and our son ate his one serving! Sometimes he is thrilled that I try new recipes to share on this blog... other times, not so much :)

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings        

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

                       

1 bunch rainbow chard - leaves and stems separated and chopped 

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 ounce feta cheese, broken into 1/2 inch pieces

        

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
2. Toss the chard stems and onions in a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and spread onto the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the chard stems have softened and the onion is starting to brown on the corners, about 15 minutes. Toss the chard leaves with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle the leaves over the stem mixture, then scatter the feta cheese over top.
4. Return to the oven, and bake until the stems are tender, the leaves are beginning to crisp, and the feta is melted and golden, about 20 minutes.                                           

 

 

I had to cook it a little longer than stated in the directions, but our oven is old and loses heat. I also noticed that I can probably use a little less oil next time. Start with less, because you can always add more if necessary.

 

 

Action Item: Pick up some Swiss chard at the grocery! This recipe called for rainbow chard, but I had red chard and used that instead.

 

For Further Reading: 6 Hidden Health Benefits of Eating Peels, Stems and Rinds

                                                 

 

Kale and Quinoa with Creole Seasoning

I tried a new recipe from allrecipes.com last week, and it was delicious. Don't you just love when a recipe works out the first time?

I added shrimp, a little garlic, used vegetable broth, used an onion because that's what I had in the house, and I omitted the salt. The only problem was that four servings were not enough for the three of us. Oops :)

Ingredients               

• 1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)                                                                      
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 quarts water                                                    
• 1 bunch lacinato (dinosaur) kale, sliced (or any type you have on hand)                                                         
• 1 teaspoon olive oil                                                                     
• 1 large shallot, minced                                                                     
• 1 teaspoon salt                                                                     
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere's®)                                                                     

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan; stir in quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
2. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; cook kale in boiling water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. Heat olive oil in the same saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir shallot until softened, about 5 minutes. Add kale, cooking and stirring, until desired doneness. Mix quinoa into vegetable mixture and season with salt and Creole seasoning.

The directions say: 30 minutes total prep and cook time!


Action item: Make sure to try at least one new recipe this week!

For further reading: Cooking With Quinoa: 23 recipes

Eat More Kale

Yes, eat more kale and other greens! LiveScience.com explains that "one cup of chopped kale contains 206 percent of the daily value of vitamin A and 684 percent of vitamin K. It also contains almost as much calcium as milk, more vitamin C than an orange, and is loaded with important minerals, including copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. Kale is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, and is known to contain cholesterol-lowering fiber and cancer-fighting carotenoids and flavonoids."

Saute kale, steam it, add it to smoothies. Keep a batch in your refrigerator at all times. You can also find recipes for Kale Chips, which if done properly, are very tasty. I've yet to get them just right. The Action Item link below will show you some recipes to get your creative cooking juices flowing - all of them may not be healthy choices so just read the ingredient list closely. The other two links, will tell you more about kale and all the nutrients it provides. The article discusses other leafy greens (ie. mustard greens, collard greens or Swiss chard) that you may already be eating and how they compare with kale. Pretty closely. Just good in different ways!


Action item: Try kale or a new kale recipe.

For further reading: The Truth About Kale and Is Kale the Only Green Superstar?

Superfoods

You've probably run across many lists about "superfoods" but what are they? The word is actually a "marketing term used to describe foods with supposed health benefits" says Wikipedia. Many of the foods though are actually quite super in terms of their high content of antioxidants, vitamins, or other nutrients. And notice that all "superfoods" are natural, not processed, packaged, in a pill or covered in chocolate. Though... dark chocolate might be ok!

Items often on these lists are: kale, walnuts, sweet potatoes, blueberries, yogurt, salmon. If you fill your stomach with these types of foods, there will be no room left - and no need - for foods that don't fuel your body!

Action Item: Start with one super-nutrient-packed food that you are not eating or haven't tried yet and add it to a meal, as a snack or in a smoothie.

For further reading: Eight Superfoods That are Easy to Eat and Superfoods Everyone Needs