I love winter greens. They are so flavorful and just packed with vitamins & healthy nutrients.

I think that in the US we are often a bit nervous about veggies that we aren’t 100% familiar with. And swiss chard certainly falls into the unfamiliar bucket for most of us! But the vegetable is absolutely beautiful and flavor is rich and robust. The version in this photo has red stems, though you can also find them with bright yellow and orange stems. They cook up beautiful and bright! And the best part is – they are very easy to cook!

How to buy: look for chard with bright and vibrant colors. The green leaves should be full and sturdy, not wilted. The stem color should also be bright and firm, not flimsy. Even with baby chard (as shown in this photo), all these guidelines were true.

How to store: wash chard just as you would lettuce. Soak, rinse, spin and gently dry. After it is dry I store in a plastic bag lined with paper towel in the fridge.

Sauteed Baby Swiss Chard recipe follows. Read the rest of this entry →