Swiss & Rhubarb Chard:
This weekend, the whole family accompanied me to the Hollywood Farmers Market and my daughter Aliyah and I bought some beautiful organically grown Swiss & Rhubarb Chard. I usually buy kale and have posted many recipes for kale but I decided to change it up this week with Swiss & Rhubarb Chard. I’m always on a quest for great new vegetable recipes and this one is easy and filled with lots of nutrients.
If you like southern style greens, then you’ll love Swiss or Rhubarb Chard.
Ali in the Valley
Photo by: Ali
Recipe for Swiss & Rhubarb Chard:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 small red onion, diced 1 bunch swiss chard and 1 bunch of rhubarb chard – stems and center ribs cut out – leaves coarsely chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine or red wine 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste salt to taste (optional)
Directions:
Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt if needed.
Swiss chard nutrition facts:
Succulent swiss chard, also known as spinach chard or silverbeet, is a popular green leafy vegetable of European origin. Botanically, it belongs to the beet family, the same family, which also includes table beets, sugar beets, garden beets etc.
Chard is an annual crop of widely grown greens around the Mediterranean region and is available at its best during summer season from June through November.
Chard plant features distinctly large dark green leaves with well-developed edible stalks. Generally, chard leaves are harvested at various stages of maturity. While whole plant with tender young leaves are harvested for salad preparation; individual matured large sized leaves with slightly tougher stems are picked up for sautéing and cooking.
Swiss chard comes in variety of types based on their shiny, crunchy stalks or petiole:
Green stalk: Lucullus.
Red stalk: Charlotte, Rhubarb Chard.
Multi-colored stalk: Bright Lights (white, orange, yellow, purple, pink).
Health benefits of Swiss chard:
Swiss chard, like spinach, is the store-house of many phytonutrients that have health promotional and disease prevention properties.
Chard is very low in calories (19 kcal per 100 g fresh, raw leaves) and fats, recommended in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.
Chard leaves are an excellent source of anti-oxidant vitamin C. Its fresh leaves provide about 33% of recommended levels per 100 g. As an anti-oxidant, vitamin C helps to quench free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) through its reduction potential properties. Research studies suggests that regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps maintain normal connective tissue, prevent iron deficiency, and also helps your body develop resistance against infectious agents by boosting immunity.
Chard is one of the excellent vegetable sources for vitamin K; 100 g provides about 700% of recommended intake. Vitamin K has a potential role in bone health by promoting osteotrophic (bone formation and strengthening) activity. Adequate vitamin K levels in the diet helps limiting neuronal damage in the brain; thus, has established role in the treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
It is also rich source of omega-3 fatty acids; vitamin A and flavonoids anti-oxidants like ß carotene, α-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin.
It is also rich in B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid that are essential for optimum cellular metabolic functions.
It is also rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is required for cellular oxidation and red blood cell formation.
Regular inclusion of swiss chard in the diet is found to prevent osteoporosis, iron deficiency anemia, vitamin A deficiency and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases and colon and prostate cancers.
