meatless monday

The New York Times' Recipes for Health site is wonderful. They have recipes categorized by certain healthy ingredients like sweet potatoes, tofu, or eggplant. Which is awesome if, say, you have heard that a certain vegetable is good for you yet you have no idea what to do with said vegetable, you can get some recipe inspiration. 

Thus brings me to Swiss Chard. I have no idea what to do with Swiss Chard, how to cook it, what to use it in, or what it tastes like. Yet for this week's Meatless Monday, I decided to give it a go, since the author described it as a "Versatile Vegetable for a Chilly Spring" and I like alliteration. 

Orecchiette With Swiss Chard, Red Peppers and Goat Cheese (serves four)

3/4 pound Swiss chard (1 bunch), stemmed and washed in two changes of water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 red bell peppers, cut in small dice

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 pound whole wheat pasta (preferably orecchiette)

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup) 

1. Begin heating a large pot of water while you remove the stems completely and wash the chard. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add the chard. Boil the chard leaves for one to two minutes until tender. Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, transfer the chard to a bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop medium-fine. Keep the pot of water at a simmer.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the bell peppers. Cook, stirring often, until tender, five to eight minutes. Add the garlic and salt to taste, and stir for half a minute. Then stir in the chopped chard. Stir together for a few seconds, then turn the heat to very low.

3. Bring the water in the pasta pot back to a boil, and add the orecchiette. Cook al dente, following the timing instructions on the package. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the chard and peppers. Stir in the goat cheese. Drain the pasta, transfer to the pan and toss with the chard, pepper and goat cheese mixture. Serve hot (& with Parmesan Cheese!). 

both photos by andrew scrivani for the new york times

Pretty simple, inexpensive (especially if you get the goat cheese from Trader Joe's- its less than $4 for the larger log there while more than $6 everywhere else I've seen), nutritious (swiss chard is really high in antioxidants & vitamin A), and overall a truly delicious meal. The goat cheese adds a creamy mac & cheese-y feel to it that is great. And I have to say, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the Swiss Chard. It has given me a bit of a push to experiment with other ingredients!