My garden is in full bloom. I have lots of arugula, romaine, zucchini and more. I love it so much!
Below I am picking the Swiss Chard for tonights dish . Read on for the nutrition benefits of Swiss Chard.
Marinated Swiss Chard
You can serve this warm or cooled and even wrapped up in a romaine leaf with some roasted red peppers for a quick snack or lunch.
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Paleo
2 servings
1 bunch Swiss chard ( about 1 lb)
2 Tb olive oil
Celtic sea salt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 Tb lemon juice
Pinch of red pepper flakes
- One at a time, grasp the stems in on hand and strip the leaves off with the other. (keep the stems for another use such as a vegetable sauté).
- Cut the leaves into 2” pieces
- Heat a sauté pan on medium high
- Add 1 Tb of olive oil and the chopped greens, sprinkle with salt
- Cook, stirring often, until the greens are tender, about 5 minutes
- The water clinging to the leaves from washing is usually enough to keep them moist but if not add a little water during the cooking.
- Remove the greens from the pan and let cool.
- Squeeze out any excess moisture and transfer to a bowl.
- Dress with the remaining olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.
- Taste, adjust seasonings and serve
Benefits of Swiss Chard
It is a tall leafy green vegetable with a thick, crunchy stalk that comes in white, red or yellow with wide fan-like green leaves. Chard belongs to the same family as beets and spinach and shares a similar taste profile: it has the bitterness of beet greens and the slightly salty flavor of spinach leaves. Both the leaves and stalk of chard are edible, although the stems vary in texture with the white ones being the most tender.
High in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber
The combination of traditional nutrients, phytonutrients (particularly anthocyans), plus fiber in this food seems particularly effective in preventing digestive tract cancers
Swiss chard provides-306% of the daily value of Vitamin K in one cup of cooked Swiss chard. Vitamin K is important for maintaining bone health. Vitamin K1 helps prevent excessive activation of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone. Additionally, friendly bacteria in our intestines convert K1 into K2, the form of vitamin K that activates osteocalcin, the major non-collagen protein in bone. Osteocalcin anchors calcium molecules inside of the bone.
Swiss chard as an excellent source of Vitamin A on account of its concentrated beta-carotene content. Once inside the body, beta-carotene can be converted into vitamin A, so when you eat Swiss chard, it’s like getting both these beneficial nutrients at once. One cup of Swiss chard contains just 35 calories, but provides 109.9% of the daily value for vitamin A. Vitamin A also has been shown to reduce the damage done by smoking.
In many nerve cells magnesium serves as Nature’s own calcium channel blocker, preventing calcium from rushing into the nerve cell and activating the nerve. By blocking calcium’s entry, magnesium keeps our nerves (and the blood vessels and muscles they enervate) relaxed. If our diet provides us with too little magnesium, however, calcium can gain free entry, and the nerve cell can become over activated, sending too many messages and causing excessive contraction. Insufficient magnesium can thus contribute to high blood pressure, muscle spasms (including spasms of the heart muscle or the spasms of the airways symptomatic of asthma), and migraine headaches, as well as muscle cramps, tension, soreness and fatigue.
