Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese Custard Bake

This delicious recipe come from the blog Kalyn's Kitchen. Be sure to check it out for many other delicious recipes. Check out the recipe for a creative way to turn chard stems into a yummy dish.

 

Ingredients:
12 oz. Swiss chard leaves, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5-6 oz. goat cheese (Use the soft goat cheese that comes in a log)
1/2 cup milk (I used 2% but lower fat would also work)
8 eggs
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated mozzarella or other low-fat mild cheese
2 T + 2 T grated Parmesan (preferably freshly grated)

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C.  Remove swiss chard stems and save for another use.  Pile up the swiss chard leaves in a stack and slice in 1/2 inch slices one way, then turn the cutting board and slice the other way to make chopped pieces of chard.  (You will probably have to do this in a couple of batches.)  If needed wash the chopped chard in a salad spinner and spin until it's very dry.  Chop the onion into pieces about 1/4 inch.

-Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (big enough to hold all the Swiss chard.)  Add onion and saute 4-5 minutes on medium-high heat, just until the onions are barely starting to brown.  Then add Swiss chard, all at once.  Use a large turner to turn the chard as it cooks until it's all wilted, about 2-3 minutes.  Turn off heat and let the chard cool slightly.

-Combine the milk and goat cheese.  (I did this with the bowl attachment of an immersion blender, but you can let the cheese soften and stir it together by hand.)  In a large bowl, beat the eggs until the yolks and whites are all combined, then season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.  Stir the milk/goat cheese mixture into the eggs and then add the mozzarella and two tablespoons of the Parmesan.  Add the chard and onions and stir so it's well distributed in the egg mixture.

-Spray a round casserole dish or springform pan with olive oil or nonstick spray.   (Use a pan that's 8 or 9 inches in diameter.)  Put the egg/chard mixture into the pan and top with the other two tablespoons of Parmesan.  Bake for one hour, or until the mixture is fully set and lightly browned on top. 

Easy Peanut Butter Chard

Easy Peanut Butter Chard
Ingredients
1 bunch chard, stems removed and cut into thin strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 half onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon peanut butter (depending on preference)
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil pinch
crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Directions
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, saute the garlic and onion until onion is translucent. Add bell pepper and tomato and saute a few minutes more until soft. Add chard and saute to your liking. When the dish is just about ready, add peanut butter and seasonings. Serve hot and enjoy!

Cous Cous, Swiss Chard and Chickpeas

From: Real Simple

from Real Simple, February 2007

This is an easy recipe to adapt to whatever you have on hand, or just to make it interesting to make repeatedly. Instead of chard, try spinach, kale or other greens. Substitute almonds or pecans for the pine nuts. Try quinoa, wheat berries or barley instead of cous cous, etc.

1 10-oz box couscous
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I chopped it)
1 15.5-oz can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup raisins (dark or golden)
2 bunches Swiss chard, stems trimmed (I used spinach)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I used regular salt)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place the couscous in a bowl. Add 1-1/2 cups boiling water and stir. Cover tightly and let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over low heat, toast the pine nuts, shaking the pan frequently, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. (I toasted them in a toaster.)

Return skillet to medium heat, add the oil, and heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas, raisins, chard, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Fluff the couscous with a fork and divide among individual plates. Top with the chard and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Serves 4.

Ravioli with Chard

Adapted From: Serving up the Harvest

2 pounds (12-16 stems with leaves) red, green or rainbow chard, leaves cut into one-inch ribbons and stems diced
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper
1 package (30 oz.) frozen cheese-filled ravioli
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chard stems and boil for 2 minutes. Add the leaves and continue to boil until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove the vegetables with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain well.

2. Bring the water back to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallot and red pepper and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chard and continue to saute until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the ravioli to the boiling water and simmer (do not boil) until the ravioli are all cooked through and rise to the surface of the water, about 5 minutes. Drain well.

5. In a large serving bowl or platter, combine the ravioli and chard and toss together. Sprinkle with half the cheese and toss again. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and serve.

Pizza with Kale (or Chard), Roasted Garlic and 4 Cheeses

Adapted From: Eggs on Sunday

Ingredients:
Your favorite pizza dough
2 big handfuls of kale or chard, sauteed in some olive oil until tender, then chopped
cloves from about half a head of roasted garlic, thickly sliced
3 cups of grated cheese: a mix of fontina, asiago, provolone and mozzarella
sprinkling of aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with a baking stone inside. Heat the baking stone for 30 minutes while you're working on the rest of the ingredients.

Generously dust a pizza peel (or the back of a sheet pan) with coarse cornmeal or flour. Roll or stretch your pizza dough out to a 12 to 14 inch circle directly on the peel (or pan.)

Top the crust with half the grated cheese, then half the sliced roasted garlic and half the sauteed kale. Sprinkle lightly with pepper flakes if using. Repeat with another layer of cheese, garlic, and kale.

Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown, and the crust is golden brown.

Traditional Swiss Chard and Beans

From vegweb.com

Ingredients
1/2 large onion
garlic, minced, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch red (swiss) chard, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can white or navy beans, drained
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Add chard.
2. Add beans, cook the chard until it becomes soft, but not mushy.
3. Salt and pepper to your taste.

Serves: 4-5
Preparation time: < 20 minutes

Green Smoothies

Green smoothies made by Harlem CSA Shareholders!

CSA Shareholder Meryl presented a demo on Green Smoothies to fellow CSA shareholders in Harlem, NY during pick-up last week. She writes, "Green smoothies are super easy to make, and quick to clean up after. Preparing a pitcher of green smoothie takes less than five minutes, including cleaning. And they're a great way to use up all the produce in your share. While fresh is always best, green smoothies will keep in cool temperatures for up to three days." Click here for an article on the health benefits of green smoothies.

Green Smoothies
Savory Option #1 (Meryl's favorite!):
5 leaves kale or 2 handfuls of spinach
½ bunch cilantro
½ avocado
½ red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
2 medium tomatoes
½ lime-juiced
Salt to taste
2 cups of water

Sweet Option #1:
½ bunch romaine lettuce or 5 leaves chard
1 mango
1 sweet apple (no Granny Smith for this)
1 banana
2 cups of water or 1½ cups water and 4 ice cubes

Sweet Option #2:
½ bunch Romaine or red leaf lettuce
1 cup strawberries
2 bananas
2 cups of water or 1½ cups water and 4 ice cubes

Sweet Option #3:
6 leaves kale
4 ripe pears or sweet apples
½ bunch mint
2 cups of water or 1½ cups water and 4 ice cubes

Directions for all:
Cut up all ingredients into small pieces (lettuce can be ripped). Add all to blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Recipes yield about 1 quart of smoothie.

Swiss Chard Tart

Hello! My name is Alissa, and I am a CSA shareholder in the Ambler area. This is my third year as part of the LFF CSA. I grew up in Lancaster County, and when I moved to the Philadelphia area I was really missing all the locally-grown fresh produce that I could find on every corner in Lancaster County. I am so glad that I found this CSA a few years ago. I love to cook, and I love being able to do so in a way that is fresh, tastes delicious, and helps support local family farmers to continue their work. I have also contributed to a small group recipe-sharing blog for the last 6 years, so I have lots of great recipes to share here!

You can easily adapt this recipe based on what you have on hand - try some other greens instead of the chard, or add diced ham or sausage for something different. Adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali

2 pounds Swiss chard, washed and spun dry
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/8 cup
4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3/4 cup bread crumbs
diced ham or sausage, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roughly chop the Swiss chard, discarding the rough stems (save for another use). Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Add the Swiss chard to the pan. Saute, turning over until cooked through and still bright green. Remove from pan.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over a medium flame until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the Swiss chard back to the pan, and the parsley and ham (if using). Let cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add 3 tablespoons of Parmigiano and, using a whisk, mix until the ingredients are well-blended. Add the egg mixture to the cooled Swiss chard and toss to combine.

Using the remaining olive oil to lightly grease a shallow 9-inch round or oval baking dish. Dust the bottom of the baking dish with 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Carefully place the Swiss chard and egg mixture into the pan. Dust with the remaining Parmigiano and then the remaining bread crumbs.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature.

Komatsuna with Garlic, Raisins & Pine Nuts

What looked something like collard greens in this week’s share were komatsuna, a Japanese green leafy with, I think, a fairly mild flavor. Milder than collards or kale, for sure. When I’m in doubt about what to do with something green, I usually just add garlic and lemon, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil…and its gotta taste good! I threw in some raisins and pine nuts, which I guess must make this dish sort of a Mediterranean-Asian fusion…The best part is, NO COOKING required, which means your kitchen stays cooler, there is one fewer pan to wash, and all of the nutrients in your greens, raisins and pine nuts are raring to go!

One medium bunch greens (here, komatsuna, but kale, chard, collards, and escarole are all tasty this way!)
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup raw (untoasted) pine nuts
1 large clove of garlic
½ a lemon
Olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper

Remove the hard part of the stems/stalks from your greens, and stack them, slicing several leaves at a time into ½ inch ribbons. (Be sure to wash and dry them well either before or after slicing!) Place greens in a large bowl, with some room to toss them.
Slice/shave garlic into very very thin slices. There are special little slicers for this, or you could use a vegetable peeler.
Toss garlic, raisins and pine nuts with greens, as well as 2 teaspoons of lemon juice (or more, to taste), a tablespoon of olive oil (to coat the greens – use a little more if you have a really big bunch!), a ¼ teaspoon of salt, and a dash of black pepper. Toss really well until every thing is coated, and adjust lemon, salt and pepper to taste.
Cover, and let sit for ½ hour or so before serving, tossing a couple more times. This will server several people as a side dish, or makes a great big salad, as well!

Sweet Potatoes and Greens

The following recipe, courtesy of current White House chef, Sam Kass, was submitted by our Bala Cynwyd CSA site host, Hannah. She writes, “It was delicious, even without the cinnamon, cloves and honey.”

Sweet Potatoes and Greens
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 or 3 large sweet potatoes
2 bunches of greens (chard, kale or collards)
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground gloves
salt and pepper
¼ tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

Directions
1. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces
2. Heat half the oil in pan over medium heat, and add potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just brown on all sides and soft (about 12-15 minutes, depending on size). When cooked, add spices and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, wash the greens (do not dry), remove stems and cut leaves into small pieces. Heat remaining oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for a minute before adding greens. Stir often and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Combine potatoes, honey and lemon juice with the greens, stir and serve.