Ready to put those fancy chef knife cuts from earlier this week to work and show off those chiffonade skills?
Maybe it’s the warm weather, but I’m really into bright, vibrantly colored foods lately. All those amazing fruits and vegetables at the farmers market? I’m there. #getinmybelly.
I got the idea for this dish from a cooking class I took recently. It was so simple to make, with not a lot of ingredients, but the flavors jumped out at you just as much as these beautiful colors did. Plus, it’s a great way to get some new greens in your life in a way that actually tastes fantastic.
Everybody could eat more greens, but not everybody likes them. Why? Um, hello. Maybe because so many of us were fed tasteless, bland, boring steamed spinach as young’uns and were totally turned off by it. I still don’t really like cooked spinach, even if it’s fancied up with some great herbs, spices, or a sauce. Just not my thing.
So how about some beautiful rainbow chard (that actually tastes great)? Now that, I can get behind. There’s no point in eating these healthy greens if you’re not going to like them. Which is definitely what happens to me when they’re under-seasoned and overcooked. And guess what? This happened to me only yesterday at a pretty well-known restaurant in DC. Sure, I’ll have a side of swiss chard, that sounds great! Oh wait…it’s mushy, overcooked, and had no seasoning at all. Ugh. Gritted my way through that one only because I was so hungry I could’ve eaten a whole antelope. (Lion King, anyone??)
Okay, maybe there is a point to eating greens, even if you dont like them. All the vitamins, nutrients, and all that jazz. BUT. How about we just make them ridiculously tasty instead so you’ll WANT to eat them?
Wins all around.
Plus, you get to show off those fancy knife skills…
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 tsp minced garlic (or 3 cloves, minced)
- 3 - 4 large heirloom carrots, washed and grated*
- 1 bunch rainbow chard, chiffonade (or chopped)
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- Juice and zest from ½ lemon
- sea salt: 1 pinch + ½ tsp, divided
- Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large sauté pan. When it’s hot, add the onions and a small pinch of salt. Stir every few minutes until the onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Be careful - if your pan is too hot they may burn! If this happens, add a little liquid to the bottom of the pan (about 2 Tbsp) and stir until it evaporates.
- Stir in the garlic and carrots and continue cooking until the onions are golden brown, for about 5 more minutes.
- Add in the chard with ¼ cup chicken broth. Stir so everything is evenly incorporated with the rest of the veggies, then pop the lid on the skillet.
- Simmer until the greens are slightly wilted and tender, about 5-8 minutes. Don’t let them overcook and get mushy.
- Remove the lid, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, zest and ½ tsp salt. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
