This Easy Swiss Chard Recipe Will Get Everyone to Eat Their Greens (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook chard so it is not bitter? ›

The flavor of Swiss chard mellows once it's cooked. Adding onions and garlic will impart a sweet flavor, or pair with salty bacon, white beans or creamy cheese to offset the bitterness. I love adding a touch of spice and squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a bright pop of flavor.

Swiss chard (also known simply as chard) is a leafy green vegetable that is related to beets and spinach. It is rich in vitamins A, C and especially K, and it is also a good source of magnesium, iron and potassium. Chard can be steamed or sauteed, and it's great in soups, stews, casseroles, frittatas and quiches.

Blood clotting: If you are on blood thinners, you may want to avoid Swiss chard due to its high vitamin K content, which plays a role in blood clotting. Allergy: If you are sensitive to grass pollen, you should avoid eating Swiss chard because inhaling vapor from boiling the vegetable may trigger rhinoconjunctivitis.

All chard is Swiss chard; it's just stalk colors and names that vary! The stalks and leaf veins of Swiss chard vary in color from yellow to pink and deep red to white. Chard with red stalks is called Rhubarb, Red, or Ruby Chard.

Blanch the greens first.

The next time, when I made the same dish and blanched the broccoli rabe in salted water first, it was delicious. Blanching helps to leach out some of the bitterness and works best with hardier greens.

Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and cabbage are among the most challenging to digest due to their complex fibers, which tend to ferment in the gut, causing gas and bloating. Alternative nutrient-rich foods that are easier on the gut include dark leafy greens like kale, spinach and Swiss chard.

Because of its flavonoid content, Swiss chard has a high antioxidant capability. This contributes to the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic characteristics of the compound.

Spinach have significantly more Vitamins A than chard. Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron. Spinach is a great source of Thiamin, Niacin, Zinc, Phosphorus.

Along with other leafy greens and descendants of the beet family, Swiss chard contains high levels of nitrates, which been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce the amount of oxygen needed during exercise, and enhance athletic performance.

Leafy greens, like spinach, chards, arugula, lettuce and kale are rich in fibers with laxative properties. They are great options for constipation relief, especially when eaten raw. These greens contain high amounts of water, which helps with stool movements.

What is eating my Swiss chard at night? ›

Caterpillars like cabbage worms and cabbage loopers are usually the first thing I suspect when I start seeing holes in the leaves of my Swiss chard plants. Then, there's slugs and snails, which have been known to eat from chard, as well.

Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable that is packed with nutrients. It contains an impressive amount of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs. You can saute it alone or add it to stews, salads, stir-fries, frittatas, pastas, and more.

All that being said, why should you grow chard? Well as it turns out, chard is a superfood and one of the healthiest veggies on planet earth. 100 grams of chard will give you 3 times the amount of vitamin K you need per day.

Keep in mind: Swiss chard leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw Swiss chard is less bitter than cooked. A bunch of raw Swiss chard will cook to a much smaller amount.

Chard will usually bolt in any extreme temperature conditions like freezing and in extremely dry hot weather.” Doyle noted that the plant might continue to produce the typical chard leaves, and that the smoother leaves are still flavorful but more bitter than others.

Blanch Them

Blanching your greens is key to getting that bitterness level down. Because glucosinolates are water-soluble compounds, a lot of them are leached out into the water, allowing for a less bitter green.

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

Add enough salt (you can be generous with the salt) The more salt, the better. Pour in hot boiling water, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the leaves from the hot salty water and transfer them into cold water. This process blanches the leaves and removes the bitterness.