Rainbow Chard Salads

I recently bought a bunch of beautiful rainbow chard at the downtown farmer's market.  Don't know why, but up until now chard hasn't been a part of my shopping routine. That's going to change though.  Chard is up there with kale in the "super veg" category and its vibrant colors make preparing it extra fun!  

In my sculpture class, I learned that sculpture can be made from ANYTHING—not just clay.  Chard is perfect sculpture material with its range of texture and opacity, so I decided to have a little fun with it before it disappeared into meals. 

After the farmer's market, I did some recipe searching because I wanted to do more things with my copious amount of chard besides solely sautéing with garlic.  I happened upon a recipe for Thai noodles that looked yummy and inspired the mindset for creating my own Thai inspired chard salads.  Both of my salads have Thai elements, with the second one following a more traditional Thai flavor-profile.  Once I refill my empty pepita jar, I want to try making Closet Cooking's chard pesto. 

Green Garlic

I also bought green garlic from the farmer's market.  I had never heard of this before and was able to try a little sample before purchasing.  Mincing garlic is a time-consuming and sticky business, so if you want a pop of color and the flavor of garlic without the draw-backs, just pull out your kitchen shears and snip away.  Chard and garlic is classic, so if you go the salad route, I recommend looking for green garlic on your next shopping trip.

Kitchen shears work much better than a knife for cutting items like green garlic & scallions.  I also like to use them for making red cabbage ribbons when I only need a small amount and don't want to bother with a knife and cutting board.

Nutrition Highlight: Swiss Chard

Family Tree

Chard is in the goosefoot family which includes beets, spinach, quinoa, and amaranth.  Learning about a vegetable's relations can help spark ideas for how to combine compatible flavors.  The tree concept is what prompted me to try wilting chard at the tail end of cooking quinoa—so yummy.

Killer Source of K 

1 c of plain Swiss Chard is a mere 35 calories and provides over 300% of your RDA for Vitamin K! That means that adding even a small amount of raw chard to your next tossed salad will pack a considerable nutrition punch. 

It was cool learning about Vitamin K in my Metabolism II class and understanding why eating more vitamin K rich foods helps prevent osteoporosis. It aids in bone mineralization because without the help of vitamin K, calcium can't bind to Gla residues. 

Eat Up

Most people don't consume enough vitamin K. The RDA is 90 micrograms for females and 120 for males, but most US adults only consume 70-80 micrograms of vitamin K.  There's no upper limit (UL) for vitamin K, so pile those leaves deep and high!  

Sources

Kale, spinach, broccoli, collards, & swiss chard have more than 200 micrograms vitamin K per 100 grams of product (100 g = ~1/2 c of leafies).

Rainbow Chard Salad with Mango
Printable Recipe

Chard salad keeps several days because the leaves are very sturdy. Makes for a convenient snack for in-between lunch and dinner when you want something light and healthy.

 The mango helps dress the salad and balances the bitterness of the cabbage and slight saltiness of the chard. 

1/2 a small mango (~1/2 c)
1/2 c thinly sliced red cabbage (1" pieces)
2 big leaves of chard 
1/2 lemon
1 stalk of green garlic (greens only)
2 second drizzle of olive oil
Dukkah*

Note: Making in advance gives the leaves some time to marinate, so I just recommend combining everything in a reusable container. 

Cut the mango in a bowl because it should be juicy if it's perfectly ripe.

Tear the chard leaves into bite-sized chunks into a reusable container. Chop the stems of the chard and add to leaves.

Snip the green garlic with kitchen shears into the container. The white part is stronger, so you can use if you want. 

NOTE:  I prefer to heat the white part whole in a hot cast iron skillet (same for the whites of scallions), because it concentrates the natural sugars.  Or roast in your oven if it's already on.

Slice and chop the red cabbage and add to container. Toss everything. Squeeze lemon juice over contents, add oil, add mango, add a few sprinkles of dukkah.  It works well to make the salad the night before so it's all ready to go for use as a side or snack the following day.  Makes about 2 servings.

*Dukkah: An Egyptian spice blend with almonds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, anise seeds, coriander, and salt. Available at Trader Joe's. I love it on diced pear, my go-to raw veggies (carrot, celery, & bell sticks pepper), and roasted sweet potato.

Thai Chard Salad

Printable Recipe

The fish sauce gives the salad umami and that special flavor associated with Thai cuisine.  Coconut oil riffs on the common use of coconut milk in Thai curries and I mixed that with canola oil since it is a better source of unsaturated fats and omega-3s.

Dressing

1/2 lime (1 T juice)

1 T coconut oil (liquified)

1 T canola oil

2 shakes red pepper flakes

1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp fish sauce (key for that Thai flavor)

1 large leaf of red cabbage

2 stalks of green garlic

4ish leaves of chard (leaves differ a lot in size, so use your judgment)

sesame seeds

Combine dressing ingredients in a reusable container that will hold the rest of the salad.  Close lid and shake.  

Tear chard into the container. Use kitchen shears and snip greens of green garlic (reserve whites for future roasting), the red cabbage, and the chard stems into the container. Since the container will be packed full of chard, toss with your hands to make sure everything is evenly coated.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Enjoy as a salad or mix into hot quinoa or pasta. Makes 2-3 servings depending on how you use it.

Serving Suggestions

* If pulling out of the fridge to eat plain, zap in micro for 20 seconds to re-liquify the coconut oil.

*If you're making quinoa, add some of the salad during the 5 minute "fluff" period and let sit on top of the quinoa with the lid on.  It will be perfectly wilted with no extra effort and makes for a delicious component of a lunch or dinner.

*Try tossing with hot, whole wheat noodles.  Since the chard is already dressed, you wouldn't have to add anything else.