Vegetable of the Month

Now that we're getting back into summer, the produce available is simply AMAZING!  Lately I've been bringing home one new fruit/veggie every week just to try to make something new out of it.  So, every month, I will bring you a veggie that you may or may not have tried before, and give a recipe (or more than one) to enjoy it!

This month: Chard

Known better as Swiss Chard in grocery stores here, chard comes in many varieties.  The leaves are big and bright green, but stems vary in colour depending on the variety that you choose.  The stems do not contain much nutritional value, but the leaves are LOADED with vitamins and minerals.  A cup of cooked and chopped chard can provide:  (info from the Canadian Nutrient File)

• only about 40 calories!
• 4g of fibre
• about 560mcg of retinol equivalents (Vitamin A), almost your entire daily requirement
• about 4g of iron - if you're a male, this is about 50% of your daily need.  Ladies, it's still about 25% of yours!
• 600mg Vitamin K (about 10x the average Canadian adult's daily need!)
• amost 7mg beta carotene (antioxidant!)
• 1000mg potassium

What to do with it

Chard leaves tend to be bitter, so some recipes will ask for leaves to be blanched before eating to remove the bitterness (many other leafy greens often have this requirement, such as kale).  Blanching is quite easy: Boil water, add your leaves.  Let the leaves sit in hot water for about a minute till they turn a very vibrant bright green colour.  Remove from the water, and dip into an ice bath or run under cold water to stop the cooking process.  You can now use your chard in a salad/whatever you want!
The stems of the white kind of chard are edible when boiled up (chop them into 1" bits), but the coloured kind of stems are too tough and don't taste so great.

Give me a recipe!

I found this easy 3-minute swiss chard salad recipe at www.whfoods.org, and adapted it a bit:

Easy 3-Minute Swiss Chard

• 1bunch of swiss chard
• 1 clove garlic, more if you really like garlic (Yes. Yes I do.)
• 1tsp lemon juice
• 1T lemon zest
• 3T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• kalamata olives (optional)

Remove the stems from the chard and wash leaves.  Chop into 1"-ish bits.  Blanch (as described above), and squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the leaves.  I wrapped them up in paper towels and leaned my full body weight on them, repeat a few times with fresh paper towels each time.
Chop up the garlic clove.  Toss leaves with all ingredients except feta cheese and olives (if using).  Once tossed, add your cheese and olives.

Delicious and ridiculously healthy!

Any ideas for future veggies or fruits of the month?  Is there a veggie/fruit that you've been dying to try but just don't know what the heck to do with it?  Leave me a comment!  Your veggie/fruit might be featured in an upcoming post!