Last Saturday, I was the Nolensville farmer’s market where you can find me featuring our keto baked goods. I and purchased the biggest, most beautiful rainbow swiss chard.

You could replace the swiss chard with kale if you like. Olive oil, garlic and sausage make greens oh so tasty.

Swiss chard is considered a nutritional powerhouse, an excellent source of vitamins K, A, and C, as well as a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, and dietary fiber. Swiss chard does contain oxolates and may not be the be the best choice for those concerned with kidney stones.

If this is a concern, kale would be a better choice and will also work well in this recipe. We have a lot of kale recipes here, so you know we love our kale. I wouldn’t use spinach for this recipe, as it doesn’t have the heft and texture this recipe needs.

The Process

Use loose Italian sausage, mild or hot, and crumble into a hot pan that has been oiled first. Use a wooden spoon and continue stirring to get every sausage crumble fully cooked. Drain and set aside. Clean out pan and use to sautè greens in olive oil and garlic.

Olive oil, garlic and salt are always a great start to greens. The crumbled Italian sausage adds fat, protein and ton of flavor. I generally fry a few cloves of garlic in the oil and then remove, before adding my greens. I don’t sautè the greens in the sausage oil, because the olive oil really adds the flavor I’m looking for. Once softened, add sausage back in, stir up, add dollops of ricotta cheese (which is an option) and bake for ten minutes. Finish off with grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano. If you want heat, sprinkle soe red chili flakes to taste. Enjoy. This is a delicious supper and is great left over.

Notes: You can substitute pork Italian sausage with turkey Italian Sausage. You can use mustard greens, Swiss chard, kale or any green that has heft (not spinach). You could even use broccoli rabe.

This is a dish that is so easy, so good, we will make this every few weeks. It reheats beautifully.

Similar Dishes from Spinach Tiger

• Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
• How to Sautè Swiss Chard Italian Style
• Italian Ground Beef Kale Stir Fry
• Swiss Chard Nectarine Salad
• Melted Kale
• Easy Collard Greens
• Low Carb Italian Sausage Recipe with Spaghetti Squash

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Italian Sausage and Greens Stir Fry

Crumbled Italian Sausage with Greens Stir Fry for an Easy Healthy Low Carb Dinner

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian sausage, swiss chard

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Swiss Chard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoons Pecorino or Parmesan freshly grated
• 1 pound Loose Italian Sausage
• 4 ounces ricotta cheese

Instructions

• Trim the tips of the swiss chard. Discard.
• Rinse, dry, and chop swiss chard. Cut the stems into a small dice. Cut the leaves larger, as they will reduce in size.
• Heat frying pan prior to adding oil.
• Add oil and turn to medium heat.
• Add garlic cloves and sautè until golden. Remove and discard. Do not over brown.
• Add chard leaves and stem to pan and sautè until softened.
• Add Parmesan or Pecorino and toss.
• Season with red chili flakes to taste, and add salt and pepper.
• Remove greens to a bowl in order to cook sausage in same pan.
• You may need to add a tablespoon of oil to pan. Crumble sausage and cook until cooked through.
• Add greens back in and mix with sausage.
• Add dollops of ricotta cheese and bake in oven for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkled Pecorino Romano or parmesan.

The post Italian Sausage and Greens Stir Fry with Ricotta appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Swiss Chard is Good for full of vitamins and phytonutrients and anti-oxidants. Make it a part of your diet on a frequent basis.

Click here for 30 Low Carb Veggies with 75 Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Sauteed Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard sauteed with golden raisins, garlic, pecans, olive oil.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword swiss chard

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Swiss Chard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon syrupy balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoons Pecorino or Parmesan freshly grated

Instructions

• Trim the tips of the swiss chard. Discard.
• Rinse, dry, and chop swiss chard. Cut the stems into a small dice. Cut the leaves larger, as they will reduce in size.
• If raisins are dry, soak in cold water for a few minutes to plump them.
• Heat frying pan prior to adding oil.
• Add oil and turn to medium heat.
• Add garlic cloves and sautè until golden. Remove and discard. Do not over brown.
• Add chard leaves and stem to pan and sautè until softened.
• Drizzle balsamic and toss.
• Add raisins and most of the pecans. (save some for sprinkling top before serving).
• Add Parmesan or Pecorino and toss.
• Season with red chili flakes to taste, and add salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle remaining pecans before serving.

The post How to Sautè Swiss Chard appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Do you dare to step out of your comfort zone with salad? I know you have moved away from ice berg lettuce (which is still good with a creamy blue cheese dressing retro style).

I’m sure your fridge has seen the likes of baby spinach, micro green, kale and arugula. But, have you considered raw swiss chard as the star of the bowl?

Swiss chard is an amazing green inside of a salad or in this recent sauteed version. 

All kinds of salads garnish our table, but this swiss chard salad has become a favorite of every dinner guest this summer and one I feel especially proud of, adding in some southern flavors a bit of Spinach Tiger twist.

When I first wrote this back in 2011, I  was a little frustrated at the lack of fresh bright greens in salads. Much has changed in these ten years, and raw swiss chard is taking a place at the table.

Serving greens raw in the south is certainly a new twist on tradition, but one that we should all be heading to, especially during the hot months, where fruit can be added and the palate gets refreshed.

This is a Swish Chard salad that is equally about texture as much as it is the balancing act of fat, salt, and acid.

I am known for my salads. I bring a huge salad to my church group dinner every two weeks and there’s never one bite left. Why? It’s all about the balance of fat, (olive oil) salt, and acid (lemon, vinegar).

I like to use dijon mustard in my vinaigrette to bring the oil and vinegar together. I also like to add in some lemon juice to bring extra brightness. Acid is especially important in greens like kale and swiss chard, helping to break down some of the fibers.

Play Around with this Salad

• Replace nectarines with pears or apples.
• Replace pecans with pine nuts, peanuts, walnuts.
• Use golden raisins if you have them. They really make this salad sing.

More Greens from Spinach Tiger

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Swiss Chard, Nectarine and Toasted Pecan Salad

Swiss Chard, pecans, dried fruit for a delicious southern salad with Italian notes.

Course Salad and Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword nectarines, pecans, swiss chard

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Rainbow Chard other swiss chard is fine too
• 1 bunch Butter Lettuce one head, rinsed, patted dry
• 1/4 cup pecans chopped coarsely and toasted
• 1 cup Nectarine slices can use peaches or even apples
• 1 tablespoon Dried fruit chopped (optional)

Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons mixture of white balsamic champange or apple cider vinegar (any combo)
• Big squeeze of lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup avocado oil (or more olive oil
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Instructions

• Rinse swiss chard and trim stems. Dry leaves and place in salad bowl.
• Toss with dressing and add in dried fruit and toasted pecans. Season with salt and pepper.

Vinaigrette

• Whisk vinegar into mustard. Add lemon juice.
• Slowly add in the both oils. Season with salt and pepper. You will not use all the dressing most likely. You will need to do your own tasting. The dressing will be pungent, with lots of acid. The sweetness of the peaches, and the salt will help to counteract. But, if you find it too pungent, add more canola or olive oil. This is much more of an inspiration than an exact recipe.

The post Swiss Chard, Nectarine and Toasted Pecan Salad appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The first food I ever cooked for a crowd without anyone’s help was picnic food when I was 15. I Back in those times, picnic food meant fried chicken and potato salad, both of which I was a master at. But, I haven’t made or eaten either in many years, somehow losing my taste for those heavier choices and casting mayonnaise salad dressings aside for any outdoor gathering.

But, quite by accident, I discovered better more “spinach tiger” picnic food.

A few weeks ago, I made my first chicken roulade taking inspiration from rainbow chard. We didn’t get to eat it until the next day because I needed pictures. And, we ate it cold. And, we loved it. A week later, I made it again, with the plan of eating on the deck with a bottle of wine, fell apart, as inside our crazy life, we forgot to eat dinner and the above platter sat out for almost three hours. And, we discovered it was just as good at room temperature.

Suddenly fireworks went off and I immediately envisioned a sunny day, a coolish breeze and a picnic. I live in a picnic neighborhood, landscaped amidst the Tennessee hills. Our subdivision is surrounded by local farms, historic property that is everything you envision when you think of the romance of Tennessee. We can walk to trails or picnic areas that are designed to capture the landscape. Even the Olympic-sized pool is placed in such a setting as too look like a country club, surrounded by a horse farm, a blueberry farm and a local cow ranch.

I realize it’s a lot more fitting for that good old fashioned southern fried chicken picnic, but the idea of a lighter chicken roulade with grape tomatoes is a picnic I could enjoy a little more often. I’m envisioning a loaf of french bread, fresh berries and some good company.

In the past, roulade never appealed to me. I can only remember eating it at ladies lunches and it never gave me a “culinary moment.” Usually, rubbery, boring and seemingly cheap. I never recall “taste.”

This is different. Firstly, you could eat the stuffing all by itself as a vegetable. And, you probably will steal several spoonfuls while preparing.

Swiss chard never gets slimy the way spinach can, and never overpowers its seasonings. I used onion, pine nuts, dried cherries and berries, balsamic vinegar, and pecorino romano cheese. Usually, On occasion, I’ll add pancetta or bacon. It’s a most flavorful and harmonious combination of ingredients.

Dried cherries, berries, from the Cherry Stop begin are a sweet and tart addition to stuffing.

This recipes will give you future options.

The swiss chard mixture can be:
Served as a side vegetable.
Stuffed into a ravioli.
Mixed with rice.
Served with pasta.
Stuffed into mushrooms.
Further flavored with crumbled bacon, diced pancetta

The chicken roulade can be:
Served over risotto or mashed potatoes.
Served hot or cold.
Served in a roll.
Served in a salad.
Served including a slice of prosciutto, fontina cheese or swiss.

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Spring Picnic: Chicken Roulade with Rainbow Chard

Chicken roulade, eaten hot or cold is perfect for a light supper for a spring picnic.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts flattened
• olive oil for browning meat
• flour
• 1/2 large onion or 2 shallots, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons pine nuts
• 2 teaspoons dried fruit golden raisins, cranberries, apricots, dried cherries
• 1 bunch rainbow chard can use optional swiss chard or spinach
• 2 t pecorino romano cheese freshly grated
• Sea salt black pepper to taste
• String

Instructions

• Prepare the chicken breasts by placing inside a large ziplock bag. Using a cast iron pan (or similar) flatten. Meat pounders tend to desecrate meat and make unseemly marks. Flat pots or pans work better and don’t harm the raw meat.
• Salt and set aside. This will give the chicken breasts time to reduce temperature, which will help them cook in the center more easily.
• Prepare the swiss chard mixture: Wash and dry thoroughly. Remove any discolored parts. Trim the ends. Cut the stalks and separate. These need a finer dice than the leaves.
• Cut leaves into small pieces.
• Soak dried fruit in a little water.
• Heat onion and oil in pan at same time. Once onion is softened almost golden, add garlic and cook for about a minute, being careful not burn garlic.
• Add pine nuts to toast, stirring pan.
• Drain dried fruit, dice and add to pan. Add in stalks and cook for a few minutes until softened.
• Add in leaves, continuing stirring pan, incorporating all ingredients. Turn pan off. Swiss chard will continue to cook. Do not overcook. Allow to to come to room temperature.
• Assembly: Sprinkle cheese on chicken breasts. Spread mixture on, careful to not overdo. Roll up as tightly as you can and tie each with three strings. One in middle and one at each end.
• Roll in flour. Pan fry until browned, turning to each side. Finish in hot oven of 375 for 8-10 minutes.
• If eating hot, allow chicken to rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. I used a cast pan to do all parts of the dish. This makes it easy to go from stove top to oven.

The post Spring Picnic: Chicken Roulade with Rainbow Chard appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I purchased an imported buckwheat pasta when I was in San Francisco in anticipation of putting this dish on the schedule. This is one I would have not have intuitively thought of. The dish comes from Valtellina, a valley in the Lombardy region of Italy, bordering Switzerland, where buckwheat easily grows.

Only the chard stalks are used, and the potato and pasta are cooked together. It then gets assembled and placed in the oven with fontina and parmigiano-reggiano cheese pulling it all together.

The green leafy chard can be used for another dish. I boiled and then sauteed the leaves with pine nuts, golden raisins, olive oil and a splash of vinegar and served it as a side dish with the pot roast made here . I always opt for rainbow chard if I can find it, especially in this dish where only the stalks are used.

The idea of pasta with potato is not new to northern Italy if you remember this dish from Genoa. It has inspired a dish that is coming soon, with homemade buckwheat pasta and sweet potatoes that you won’t want to miss.

You Can Making Your Own Buckwheat Pasta
Pizzoccheri pushed me a little bit outside the box. I’m not likely to make buckwheat pasta, but I had to try. And, it’s not that easy. Do not make buckwheat pasta as your first homemade pasta. You may become disheartened and never make pasta again. Master regular

There is no gluten to keep it together and it doesn’t get elastic enough to work with easily. It can stick in your pasta machine and frustrate you. But, keep trying because eventually, you will get the right feel of the dough and have success. It’s worth it.

The recipe for the PIzzocheri is from Marcella Hazan, but the recipe for the buckwheat pasta is my own, as I find using semolina flour helps the buckwheat flour gain some elasticity and is easier to work with.

Buckwheat Pasta Recipe
Ingredients

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup semolina flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk or cream (if necessary)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

I tried three different combinations and this particular recipe was by far, the easiest to work with.
My long standing recipe for pasta is 1 cup flour and 2 eggs, and then adding in more flour as necessary. In this case, you will probably need to add in more liquid, and I used 1 T cream.

Mix flours together with salt. Make hole in center and beat one egg at a time and gradually incorporate flour into egg, going from outside in.

1. Wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Dough will probably still be sticky, so use flour to roll out. If you put through the pasta machine, you probably won’t be able to go past number 4. After number 4, pasta starts to shred. Pasta will still be tender. You will probably need to clean your pasta machine with each pass through as the buckwheat pasta tends to leave residue.
2. Once pasta dough has been taken through machine, allow to rest again for 20 minutes uncovered. This air-drying process will make cutting the pasta an easy process without stickiness.

Cook just as you would any other homemade pasta, boiling salted water and just a few minutes.

Pizzoccheri Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 to 3 1/2 cups Swiss Chard Stalks cut into 3 inches long and about 1/2 inch wide (2 bunches)
• Salt
• 1 cup potatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves, mashed and peeled
• 2 dried or 3 fresh sage leaves
• 4 oz. imported Italian fontina cheese, sliced thinly
• 2/3 cups freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Boil pre-cut chard stalks for ten minutes. Add potato, until cooked through. Drop pasta into water and cook until done, If pasta is homemade. If not cook pasta separately so as to not overcook.
3. You can take chard stalks and potato out, set aside and put pasta in same boiling water.
4. Saute garlic in butter on medium heat until golden. Discard garlic, add sage leaves, turn once or twice. Turn off heat.
5. Drain pasta. Put pasta, chard stalks and potatoes into baking dish. Toss with sage butter.
6. Put in fontina cheese, and place in upper most rack of oven for about 4 minutes. Serve with grated cheese.

The post Pizzoccheri and Making Buckwheat Pasta appeared first on Spinach Tiger.