Eat Your Veggies!

About a year ago, I read a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman titled Eat to Live. He believes that we should eat less meat and more vegetables.  He claims that ounce for ounce, vegetables can have nearly as much protein as meat.  In other words, eight ounces of vegetables can have as much protein as eight ounces of chicken.  But very few of us eat eight ounces by weight, or half a pound of vegetables at one sitting.  I read many of his testimonials and became very interested in this way of eating.  While I will never become a vegetarian, I do eat one or two meatless meals a week and I have really increased the amount of salad and vegetables I eat.  So I thought I would devote a few posts to just veggies.

This summer I discovered a new vegetable.  Swiss chard, also called rainbow chard.  It is a leafy green vegetable related to spinach.  The leaves are much bigger, more like the size of romaine lettuce leaves, and the stems are green, red, and yellow.  It is very low in calories, and very high in nutrients such as cancer fighting antioxidants, and vitamins C,B and K.   I belong to a farm to table group at my local garden center, and it was one of the first veggies that matured in our garden. Our chef prepared it for us at our first meeting, and I was hooked!

You need to buy a huge bunch, because like spinach, it will cook down to nothing.  I first rinse and chop it including some of the smaller stems as they add great texture. I begin by thinly slicing about three cloves of garlic and sautéing in two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the chopped Swiss chard and sauté until it wilts. Stir frequently using tongs.  Add about a half teaspoon of salt and a few shakes of pepper. I have served it for dinner instead of spinach, but my favorite way to eat it is in a kind of bruschetta. Slice Italian bread, brush with olive oil and put it under the broiler for just a few minutes, but not too close to the heat source or it will burn.  While the bread is toasting, heat a skillet and add about a half cup of sliced almonds and toast.  Watch them carefully as they will burn quickly.  Remove the bread from the broiler, top with the sautéed Swiss chard and a few almonds.  This became such a favorite food of mine that I would bring it for lunch each day.  I have shared it with friends and family members and they are hooked too!

So be adventurous and try Swiss chard.  Let me know how you like it!  Tomorrow I will give you a few more veggie recipes, because I found that preparing  vegetables in new and interesting ways, makes them flavorful.  So come back tomorrow and see what I have for you! 

Happy Cooking!

Carol
(aka Nonnie)