Healthy Foods - Swiss Chard

Last night we had some wonderful Swiss Chard. Never thought I'd use wonderful and Swiss Chard in the same sentence.

It's a deal. I bought 2 large bunches for $1 each. They were beautiful. The stems were bright shades of red, yellow, orange, pink and white. The leaves were big and ruffled.

It's easy to prepare.

Wash the chard in cool water. Trim the ends off the stems. Cut the stems into inch long pieces. Rough cut the leaves.

In a large pan (I used a non-stick wok), saute some garlic (to your taste) in a small amount of olive oil. Add the stems and continue cooking until the stems start to soften. Add the leaves and place a lid on the pan.

Saute until leaves are wilted. Season with salt and lemon juice. Butter buds can be added if desired.

Serve hot.

It's packed with nutrients. Excells in Vitamin K, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Full of fiber, it's also a great source for iron and calcium. More information can be found at this great site.

It can be used instead of spinach in many recipes. You should limit your swiss chard intake if you have problems with kidney stones or gall stones because of it's oxalate content. It shouldn't be an issue for most people.

I had trouble finding recipes at allrecipes.com but found quite a few at epicurious.com.

Enjoy!