Swiss Chard with Olives Salad Recipe

I'm getting back to the swing of things after vacation and our fast, frivolous and totally fun anniversary day-trip to Yosemite. Time to get you some more recipes. I have a backlog of recipes to share, but they are not organized and written out. Starting from the top of the stack, we have Swiss Chard with Olives.

I regularly buy greens like Swiss chard for my veggie shakes. Chard is rich in antioxidants. Here's just one of the awesome phytonutrients chard contains: syringic acid. This flavonoid has received special attention in recent research due to its blood sugar regulating properties.

If you buy the rainbow blend mixture, you get red, yellow and white Swiss chard. The color is in the stalk and veins of the leaves, which are always green. Occasionally I'd stir fry some chard in olive oil as a side dish for a meal.

I ran across the recipe with olives and capers at SimplyRecipes.com and tried it out. It was a hit with the meal. The soft, sour flavor of capers and green olives balances this recipe nicely. I added diced red peppers to punch it up some and found it deeeelicious. If you've never tried Swiss chard, you are missing a healthy green and easy veggie to add to your meals.

Swiss Chard with Olives Salad

From Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Yield 4 Servings

Category Side Dish

Cuisine Healthy, Vegan

Forgot to put the green onions in the picture

Ingredients

10 medium-sized pitted green olives, sliced

1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp capers

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed and pated dry

1/4 C diced red bell pepper

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix together the olives, rosemary, green onion and capers with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Set aside.

2. Use a knife to cut along the edges of the main stem of each chard leaf to remove the stem. Cut stems into 1/2-inch slices and set aside. Cut leaves separately into 1-inch thick ribbons.

3. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add the chard stems and red pepper.  Cook for two minutes, stirring often, until they begin to soften.

4. Stir in the olive mixture. Cook for one minute then add the chopped chard leaves to the pan. Toss chard with other ingredients in the pan until leaves are coated with olive oil.

5. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Let cook for a few minutes, lifting lid to stir leaves. Once the chard has all wilted, remove from heat.

6. Sprinkle with fresh pepper and serve.

I dressed up the dish with slices of an organic watermelon turnip shown in the ingredients picture.

Have you ever eaten Swiss chard? Scroll down and leave a comment.