chard

Charming Chard

Care of Laura Wright (blogging at http://www.thefirstmess.com) We should all know by now that eating your greens is a big step towards good health maintenance and feeling the high vibes. Kale has certainly been getting a lot of attention in the past year or so but what about chard! Leafy chard, from the same family as spinach and beets, with its various coloured stems deserves a little spotlight too. Buying it: Leafy, green chard originally hails from Sicily (despite commonly being referred to as Swiss Chard) and has an earthy, slightly salty taste. There are 3 main types available at markets around this time of year and into the early fall: Rainbow Chard with its pink, yellow and white stalks, Rhubarb or Ruby Chard with its deep red stems and slightly stronger flavour and the classic Fordhook Chard with more crinkled leaves and thicker white stems. As with any green leafies, going organic is optimal when buying chard as leafy vegetables in general tend to harbor more pesticide residue than others. Killer Carotenoids: Vibrant chard is loaded with antioxidants in the form of carotenoids. Carotenoids offer pigmentation to yellow, orange and red produce as well… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Raw Chard Spring Roll with Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce

Care of Laura Wright Serves: 2 Use any finely shredded/sliced veggies and herbs you like as a filling. As long as you keep it fresh, these crisp little rolled up salads are sure to satisfy. Ingredients 6-8 leaves of chard 3 cups finely julienned/sliced fruits and vegetables such as: -carrots -bell peppers -apples -sprouts -jicama -shaved asparagus -strawberries -beets -radishes -sliced avocado -whatever you want to use up in the fridge! 3-4 sprigs-worth of mild fresh herb leaves such as: -mint -basil (regular or thai) -cilantro -parsley Spicy Mango Sauce: 1 cup diced, ripe mango juice from 1 lime 1 small jalapeno, veins and seeds removed ½ tsp ground cumin 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 2 tsp grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil) 1 tsp nama shoyu or tamari soy sauce ¼ cup filtered water Directions Carefully cut the stems out of the chard leaves: With a paring knife, cut around the stem, on both sides, up to about the halfway point in the leaf. Repeat with other leaves.  Lay the cut leaf on a cutting board. It should look like the top half of the leaf has two little legs sticking out from under it. Cross one… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes