Rainbow Chard with Almonds and Shallots

Rainbow Chard with Almonds and Shallots

adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2025©

Rainbow chard, a variety of Swiss chard, is a nutritional powerhouse packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that offer numerous health benefits. It's particularly rich in vitamins K, A, and C, which support bone health, vision, and immunity, respectively. It offers a varied flavor profile due to its mix of colors. It combines the earthy sweetness of red chard, the nutty flavor of golden chard, and the mineral notes of white chard.

Can't find Rainbow charg, substitute Swiss chard, mature spinach or kale.

Makes 2 servings                                                                  0 WW pts / serving

Cooking spray

2 Tbsp. sliced shallots, about 1/2 large
3 cups (about 3 oz.) pounds Rainbow chard leaves only, chopped, stems reserved for Pickled Chard Stems
1 Tbsp. water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. sherry or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sliced almonds, toasted and chopped

1. In a skillet coated with cooking spray, cook the shallots until starting to soften, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the chard leaves, water and a little salt, stirring until they wilt.
3. Add the vinegar; Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Top with almonds prior to serving.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Hash with Duck Eggs

Vegetable Hash with Duck Eggs

Shishito peppers are unique in that 9/10 are mild and that other 10% are slightly spicier, more than a bell pepper but less than a jalapeno.

Makes 4 servings                                                      1 WW Blue point / serving

4 oz. purple sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices

4 stalks rainbow chard, stems chopped, leaves torn

2 cups spinach, leaves torn

Cooking spray

1 small onion, chopped

6 Shishito peppers or baby bell peppers, sliced

6 mushrooms, sliced

4 duck or extra large chicken eggs

Smoked sea salt or kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the potato until fork tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, to a bowl and set aside.
2. Put the chard stems into the same pot of water, cook 5 minutes, until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the potatoes.
3. Add the chard leaves and spinach to the same pot. Blanch for 1-2 minutes. Strain and wring dry in a kitchen towel.
4. Sauté the onion, peppers and mushrooms in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Return the potato mixture and the blanched greens to the skillet and cook until heated through.
6. Reduce the heat to low and cover to keep warm.
7. In a medium skillet, fry the duck eggs to desired doneness.
8. To serve divide the hash among 4 bowls and top each with an egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Swiss Chard and Leek Gratin - My Favorite Swiss Chard Recipe to Date

Using ingredients from the farm share has made me play with a lot of vegetables I would not usually buy in a grocery store ... swiss chard being one of them. This is our favorite recipe to date ... at least for Warren & I. Nick still prefers it sauteed with garlic but at least he will eat it.

Unfortunately my photography skills does not do this dish justice

Swiss Chard and Leek Gratin
adapted from Michael Symon's Heartland Thanksgiving Menu Food & Wine November 2011
1 pounds Swiss chard, large stems discarded
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, white and tender green parts only, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups whole milk
3 Tbsp shredded Gruyère cheese
3 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt & Freshly ground black pepper
Blanch the chard in batches until wilted,in a large pot of boiling water. Drain, squeeze dry and chop.
Heat the oil in a pot. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until tender. Uncover, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, then add the chard, Season with salt to taste and remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 425°. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour over moderate heat to form a paste. Gradually whisk in the milk about 1/3 at a time allowing the mixture to cook and thicken in between additional. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until thickened and no floury taste remains, 15 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses and the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the sauce into the leeks and chard. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown on top. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Sausage and Chard over Pasta

With the CSA farm share starting again, I am looking for lots of new vegetable recipes. There are days that I could just eat veggies and be happy but a day without meat is not a good day for my boys. They would prefer all meat and no veggies so I have to sneak them in whenever I can. This one isn't exactly a sneak but if sausage is involved so life is good.

Sausage and Chard over Pasta
adapted from Gourmet June 2006

1/2 lb Swiss chard, leaves only, chopped
1/2 lb sweet pepper chicken sausage or other fully cooked sausage i.e. kielbasa
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 lb pasta. cooked according to package directions
Salt & Freshly ground black pepper
Grated parmesan for serving

Cook sausage in oil until golden then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add garlic to the pan and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant. Add chard leaves, water, and red-pepper flakes and simmer, partially covered, until the chard is tender. Stir in sausage

Add pasta to chard mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve passing the Parmesan cheese.

Malfatti ---- Italian dumplings

Swiss Chard Malfatti with Sage Brown Butter
adapted from Bon Appetit December 2012

1 lb. Swiss chard leaves, center ribs and stems removed
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter,melted
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. ricotta cheese
2 large egg yolks
1/2 large egg
2 Tbsp. flour plus more for flouring
12 sage leaves, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Cook chard in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to ice water; let sit until cold. Reserve cooking liquid.
Squeeze chard dry. A double layer of cheesecloth can be used as the hcard will stain a kitchen towel. I tend to have a couple of old towels hanging around so I do not have to spend the money on the cheesecloth. Wring tightly.
Pulse the chard in a food processor until minced, about 30 seconds. Wring out the chard again to remove any remaining liquid.
Transfer chard to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the melted butter, ricotta, egg yolks, egg, 2 Tbsp.  flour, and 1 teaspoons salt to chard. Mixt until a dough forms, 1-2 minutes.
Cook 1 golf ball-size sample portion of dough in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes (to check for texture and seasoning). Taste sample; adjust seasoning if needed. If sample falls apart in the water, mix 1/2 more egg  and 1/2 - 1 tablespoons flour into dough until it holds together.
Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Scoop out heaping a tablespoon of dough; dust with flour and roll between your palms to form an oval-shaped malfatti; place on sheet. Repeat with remaining dough to form about 12  malfatti.
Bring the reserved chard water to a boil. Cook the malfatti until cooked through, 6-8 minutes per Drain and transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sage and cook until butter foams and begins to turn brown and sage becomes crispy, about 30 seconds. Season sage brown butter with salt and pepper. Serve malfatti topped with sage brown butter and Parmesan.

Swiss Chard Ravioli -- Bring on the CSA Farm Share Adventures

Now that I have been in PA for a while,  I have finally found a Community Supported Agriculture Farm that sells shares like Red Fire Farm in Hadley, MA. I loved getting my bag of veggies and figuring out what I was going to do with the not so familiar and down right unfamiliar.

Spoutwood Farm is my CSA share of choice this year. Jonathan is the farmer and was very kind to walk me thru the pick up process during my first week. They are extremely organized to the point of organizing the line of produce from heaviest to lightest so you can walk in with your re-useable Spoutwood Bag without having to think about what is going to crush other items.

Many interesting things were in the bag but this recipe uses the Swiss chard, savory and sage. My husband has decided that anything with sage butter on it will taste good.


Swiss Chard Ravioli
adapted from Bon Appetit May 1999
3 servings

1/4 cup water
1/2 lb Swiss chard, center spine and stems trimmed
1/2 c cup part skim ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp freshly grated Asiago cheese (Parmesan is just as good but this is what I had in the fridge)
2 Tbsp egg substitute
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh savory
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste

32 wonton wrappers (available in a Chinese market or the refrigerator section of the supermarket)
 
1/4 cup butter
1 bunch fresh sage leaves ..... as many as you want to eat
 
Bring water to boil. Add chard leaves. Cover; cook until tender but still bright green, about 2- 3 minutes. Drain. Cool slightly. Squeeze dry by rolling in a paper towel and squeezing. Chop chard finely. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in ricotta, Asiago cheese, egg substitute, garlic, savory, salt, and pepper.
Line baking sheet with wax paper or parchment; sprinkle with flour. Place 1 wonton wrapper on work surface. Spoon generous 1 teaspoon chard mixture into center of wrapper. Dampen your finger with water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Top with another wrapper. Press edges together to seal. Transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers, egg substitute and chard mixture.
Melt butter in small skillet. Add sage; stir until frizzled. Remove from heat.
Working in batches, cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes per batch. Your will know they are cooked when they float to the top. Transfer ravioli to large shallow bowl.
Pour sage butter over ravioli and toss. Serve, passing additional Asiago cheese alongside, if desired.