Rainbow chard, without a doubt this knock-out  wins for ‘The Most Beautiful Vegetable’ ever created….just look at it!  Super fun fact that I just discovered…Rainbow chard is related to THE BEET!  This makes me happy because beets are for sure runner-up in the most beautiful vegetable contest so it all makes so much sense.  Anyways, I digress…  Rainbow Chard is also one of those veggies that a lot of people aren’t sure what to do with so they just do’t bother buying it (even though it for sure catches your eye); I was always guilty of this up until last week when it was part of my CSA farm share at Waltham Fields Community Farm.

This chard was just too gorgeous to not take home.  So away we went…Here is the thing with being part of a CSA that I learned quickly…you need to immediately go home and cook something with all the bulky greens you are awarded, because if your fridge looks like mine there is not a lot of room for bushels of kale and chard to be hanging out.  So that is exactly what I did.  From Farm to Cast Iron in 30 minutes….

Here is a simple recipe for sautéed rainbow chard…you could replace the chard with kale, spinach or collards (three veggies that are in huge abundance at the farm right now).

Ingredients

2 bunches of rainbow chard (or one replace with kale, spinach, collards)
1 red onion, thinly sliced (or whatever kind you have on hand)
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 T. coconut oil
1/4 C. chicken bone broth (or water)
1/4 C of dried cranberries  (optional)
Juice from 1 lemon
1 t. red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 T. butternut Squash Seed Oil (optional, found at Waltham Fields Shop and TOTALLY worth buying, it is insanely good)
1/4 C. chopped Almonds (optional)

 

Instructions

Heat a cast Iron pan over medium heat with coconut oil.  Once the oil is shimmering add the thinly sliced onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add Garlic and cook until fragrant.

While your onion and garlic are cooking down prepare your rainbow chard…

Prepare you Rainbow Chard:  Because the stalks will take longer to cook you need to separate them so the greens don’t overcook. Separate the stalk from the leaves by starting at the bottom, closest to the stem; wrap your hand around the leafy part (holding the stalk with the other hand) and pull up towards the top.  It should look like this when you are done:

Next chop the stalk into 1/2 inch pieces and roughly chop the leaves.

 

Next add the chopped rainbow chard stalks to the pan with the onion, mix to combine everything and let cook until stalks are tender enough to eat (similar to al dente celery)

Next add the leaves and broth….cover pan to allow the steam to cook the greens down quickly.

Once cooked down stir to combine everything. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, cranberries and butternut squash seed oil (if you are lucky enough to have this in your pantry!).  Stir to combine and add almonds (if using) right before serving.

Enjoy!

PSA: I saw this gadget at my local Whole Foods…this goes under the category of ‘kitchen gadgets you should never bother buying’…use your hands!