I try to make at least one dish with dark leafy greens each day for the nutrition. As with many vegetables chard is more nutritious when eaten raw. I decided to lightly wilt the green to hopefully get the best of both worlds, a warm dish with most of its nutrition intact. Here is what I made tonight.
Swiss Chard with Garlic Chips and Balsamic Glaze
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (allow to stand 10 minutes so allicin can develop)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6 cups ruby chard, thinly sliced, julienned
1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Fry the garlic chips in the hot oil until it begins to turn lightly brown. Then remove the garlic to a couple of layers of paper towel to drain. Don't let the garlic get too brown or you run the risk it could burn and get bitter.
Heat a lightly greased cast iron skillet over high heat. Sear the chard, tossing, for a minute or two. As soon as the chard begins to wilt immediately remove it from the heat.
To serve, top the lightly wilted greased with the garlic chips and balsamic glaze. Season the dish with salt and pepper as desired.
Nutritional Information:
Amount Per Serving
Calories - 56.06
Calories From Fat (21%) - 11.84
Total Fat - 1.36g
Saturated Fat - 0.19g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 236.09mg
Potassium - 448.24mg
Total Carbohydrates - 9.12g
Fiber - 1.79g
Sugar - 4.81g
Protein - 2.25g
The nutritional numbers above assume the garlic absorbed ½ teaspoon of the oil. I intentionally heated the oil first and then added the garlic to ensure the garlic would fry and not simmer in the oil. By cooking it this way it absorbs less oil.
Comments:
This dish is very Italian in character. I combined my favorite Italian flavors in this dish, dark greens, garlic and balsamic. If I were not concerned with the nutrition of this dish I would have cooked the greens for a few minutes longer to make them tender.
Each serving of this dish contains approximately 6,600IU of vitamin A, 35mg of vitamin C, 65mg of calcium, 900mcg of vitamin K, and 90mg of magnesium. That is pretty darn impressive for 55 calories.
Unrelated note:
Tomorrow the hubby and I are going to exercise, finish the interior Christmas decorations, do a little on-line Christmas shopping, clean the house, and have the parents over for dinner. Somewhere in there we are going to find time to relax.
I will be back tomorrow with a few recipes from dinner. I am considering sweet potato gnocchi. However it could also be something completely different by the time I start cooking tomorrow. We will see if I can manage to make the dish I planned since I announced it.
I hope you all have a great evening.
Oh, this looks and sounds so healthy and tasty! I've never bought or cooked swiss chard before, I'm just afraid that my family would not eat it. The recipe sounds so quick and simple to make. Maybe I will give it a try soon. Thanks, Alicia:)
ReplyDeleteI use swiss chard in smoothies all the time, but haven't been much of a fan of cooked greens other than in soup. But smothered in garlic and balsamic glaze-this I have to try!
ReplyDeleteOraphan,
ReplyDeleteCompared to other dark greens Swiss chard is fairly mild in flavor. I would say the flavor intensity is much closer to spinach than kale. When I am serving picky eaters I use chard just like spinach.
Janet,
Swiss chard in smoothies! I never thought of that even though I use spinach that way. Thanks so much for suggesting it.
I think everything is better with garlic and balsamic glaze. That is something I do with many veggies.
Alicia