Rainbow chard (a blend of different colored varietals of Swiss chard) is one of my new favorite vegetables because of the vibrant stalks and naturally salty leaves. After a stressful week, buying a bunch of rainbow chard is the perfect antidote to raise your spirits. Color definitely affects mood. If you sit down to a meal with bits of bright yellow and hot pink, you can't help but smile and feel more upbeat.
This delicious frittata uses the leaves of almost an entire bunch of chard, leaving you with lots of stems to have fun with. Chop all the stems at once or just place them washed, in a bag, and snip with kitchen shears when ready to use. Yellow stems mixed into a red cabbage salad are absolutely stunning.
Nutrition Highlight: Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is just as much a nutritional powerhouse as the ubiquitous kale and tops the charts with its vitamin A, K, and C content.
Get your Vitamin A!
Vitamin A comes in plant and animal forms. In my Metabolism of Vitamins and Minerals class, we studied how the plant form, carotenoids, convert to retinoids in our gut and then get processed in the cells of the small intestine and transported to either the liver or lymphatic system.
Vitamin A is associated with yellow, red, and orange pigments, but these are masked by the chlorophyll in dark leafy greens. Swiss chard is packed with vitamin A which helps immunity, vision, and gene expression.
Immunity FYI: In the 1920s, researchers first recognized that vitamin A deficiencies were associated with decreased resistance to infection. Not having enough dietary vitamin A compromises cell signaling within immune cells and also makes epithelial tissue more prone to penetration by infectious materials.
Vision FYI: Adequate vitamin A maintains the conjunctival membrane, preventing dry eyes. It also allows for proper light transduction. Eyes of people who are vitamin A deficient have a harder time adjusting quickly between light and dark environments.
Gene Expression FYI: Vitamin A switches on genes that are involved with growth and differentiation, like limb development and germ cell differentiation. This is why it's especially important that pregnant women get enough vitamin A because deficiency can result in birth defects.
Swiss chard is just as much a nutritional powerhouse as the ubiquitous kale and tops the charts with its vitamin A, K, and C content.
Get your Vitamin A!
Vitamin A comes in plant and animal forms. In my Metabolism of Vitamins and Minerals class, we studied how the plant form, carotenoids, convert to retinoids in our gut and then get processed in the cells of the small intestine and transported to either the liver or lymphatic system.
Vitamin A is associated with yellow, red, and orange pigments, but these are masked by the chlorophyll in dark leafy greens. Swiss chard is packed with vitamin A which helps immunity, vision, and gene expression.
Immunity FYI: In the 1920s, researchers first recognized that vitamin A deficiencies were associated with decreased resistance to infection. Not having enough dietary vitamin A compromises cell signaling within immune cells and also makes epithelial tissue more prone to penetration by infectious materials.
Vision FYI: Adequate vitamin A maintains the conjunctival membrane, preventing dry eyes. It also allows for proper light transduction. Eyes of people who are vitamin A deficient have a harder time adjusting quickly between light and dark environments.
Gene Expression FYI: Vitamin A switches on genes that are involved with growth and differentiation, like limb development and germ cell differentiation. This is why it's especially important that pregnant women get enough vitamin A because deficiency can result in birth defects.
Swiss Chard and Scallion Frittata Recipe
I adapted this recipe from a New York Times publication and replaced the green garlic with scallions since it wasn't available at the farmer's market. The NYT recipe called for Greek yogurt, but I had to substitute some Greek yogurt with regular and ended up liking the results of regular yogurt better. Greek yogurt didn't distribute very evenly due to its firmer texture, so I recommend using all regular yogurt.
1 T olive oil
10.5 oz chard leaves (6 cups packed or 5 leaves)
4 scallions
6 eggs
1 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt
a few grinds of black pepper
2/3 c plain yogurt (provides a subtle tang for flavor balance)
Preheat oven to 350º. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil for blanching the chard.
Weigh the chard. Wash, dry, and strip leaves from the stems.
NOTE ON STEMS: Stems aren't used in the frittata, but will add color and crunch to other side dishes or entrées. Chop now so they're on hand for adding a splash of color to salads, stir-fries, or grains. If you're making a fresh pot of whole grains, place a handful of the chopped stems on top of the just-cooked grains, return the lid, and let steam off heat for about 5 minutes.
Add a generous sprinkle of salt to the boiling water. Get your stopwatch ready and then quickly dump in all your greens and blanch for 1 minute. The goal is to wilt and reduce their volume with minimal nutrient loss, so timing is important. Remove to a bowl of water with ice to shock and slow the residual cooking. Separate leaves from water and squeeze out any excess water. Since some nutrients have leached into the water, save for use in soups or making grains.
Chop blanched leaves medium-fine. You'll have about 1 1/2 c of chopped chard.
Heat 1 T of olive oil over medium heat in a 10" cast iron or oven-proof skillet and add scallions, thyme, & rosemary. Cook, stirring often until scallions are fragrant, ~3 minutes. Add chopped chard, stir to combine with other ingredients, then remove from heat.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in yogurt and stir in greens.
Spray skillet with PAM to ensure that the frittata won't stick, then pour egg mixture into the skillet. Place in oven and bake 30 minutes or until set and slightly puffed. Remove from oven and let cool ~10 minutes before serving. Can serve hot, warm, or at room temp. Microwaving for 1 minute does the trick for reheating. Makes 6 servings.
Great for breakfast or lunch with some grapefruit and toast. The frilly greens in my photo are carrot tops. I'll be doing a future post with carrot top chutney, so stay tuned!
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