It's all chard to me!

Okay, so I haven't really done a good job with New Year's resolutions for several years.  In fact, a few years back, we decided to scrap the idea and come up with New Year's predictions.  We still do that, but I have decided to actually make a resolution:

Every week I resolve to cook with a food I've never cooked with before.

Are you as excited as I am?

So, to start things off, tonight I cooked my first new food:  Swiss Chard.

Swiss chard is a dark leafy vegetable, and the flavor kind of reminds me of spinach, but not quite as strong.  I looked up a bunch of recipes on Pinterest, but opted instead for a recipe from a Cook's Country book I found at the library.  It's just simple sauteed chard.

First, you wash and cut it all up.  Take the stems off, chop them up, and put them in a separate bowl.  They take a little longer to cook.  I actually bought Rainbow Swiss Chard, and the stems were hot pink and bright yellow.  Very pretty!

Next, cook up a little garlic, one minced onion, and the stems of the chard for about 5 minutes in a little oil.  I cooked the garlic a little first before adding the rest to make sure it got cooked through.

Then you throw in the chard leaves and cook until it's wilted, about 5 minutes more.  Then, after you take it off the heat, add a little bit of lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Finished product!

And the verdict?  Not bad.  I know chard is really good for you, and it tastes better thank spinach (according to David).  Now that I know what it tastes like, I can see using it in a quiche or something with eggs.

Next week's new food?   To be determined at my next Meijer visit.

Happy cooking!