Sautéed Swiss Chard with Fruit & Nuts
While food bloggers around the world are catering to resolutions and fast and furiously posting salad recipes, the reality is that the high temperature is 3 degrees here in Michigan today (with wind chills of 35 degrees below zero). A cold salad is really the last thing I want to eat this week. I want comfort food, dammit. In an effort to balance the craving for all things warm with the quest to start the year off healthfully, I’ve created what can be considered a warm salad.
If you’ve never tried swiss chard, you’re in for a treat. Obviously, it’s beautiful. It has a bitter flavor that mellows when cooked, making it similar to (and as versatile as) spinach. It’s packed with nutrients and antioxidants, and adaptable to whatever flavors you want to combine with it. Here, I’ve sautéed it with fragrant garlic, tangy Hungarian pepper, sweet golden raisins and crunchy sliced almonds. You can easily pull this dish together in about 10 minutes, then get back underneath your blanket for the rest of the night.
Sautéed Swiss Chard with Fruit & Nuts
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Hungarian pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove stems from chard; cut stems crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Cut chard leaves crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Keep stems and leaves separate.
- In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, Hungarian pepper, almonds and chard stems. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add raisins, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and chard leaves. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until leaves are just wilted, stirring frequently.
I really love this recipe! Thanks so much for putting the recipe back, Lisa. This was the first time I tried swiss chard. This recipe doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the swiss chard, but it doesn’t taste like “every other leafy green recipe”. Awesome! This recipe is going into heavy rotation. 🙂
Thanks so much, Heather. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thanks again for letting me know about that glitch with the recipe 🙂
So swiss chard is the only thing I can grow with any level of success in my garden. There are 5 people in my house, and 4 of them hate swiss chard with a passion that can not be understated. I am constantly on the search for ideas that will win them over. They all love fruit and nuts, so I am going to give this a try. I think it looks delicious. Pinned!
Oh, I would LOVE to take some of that chard off your hands, Sherri! If only it could be magically delivered to me, for free 🙂 haha. I think fruit and nuts could win almost anyone over for chard. Good luck!