Chard packages

Tired of eating sautéed greens? Liven up your plate by making these chard packages.

My crisper is overflowing with greens—kale, chard, beet greens, and lettuces—from our CSA. I wanted something different for dinner, so I decided to stuff my chard leaves. I had leftover brown rice and lentils that I knew would make a perfect filling. I spied a half full jar of tomatillo salsa that I decided to use for the sauce. These are similar to stuffed grape leaves you might find at a Mediterranean deli.

Don't worry this is a pretty easy and quick recipe. Simply select the six biggest leaves you have. Prepare the filling, about a cup's worth. Stuff your leaves and bake. Feel free to change up the ingredients in the filling or the sauce. I think tomato sauce or freshly diced tomatoes would be nice.

Chard packages with tomatillo salsa
6 large chard leaves, rinsed well
~1 c of tomatillo salsa
1 tbsp olive oil or ghee
2 small onions, diced small
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp oregano
pinch of sea salt
pinch of red pepper chili flakes
1 small carrot, diced small
1 celery stalk, diced small
1 radish, diced, small
1/4 c cooked brown rice
1/3 c cooked lentils

Preheat oven to 350. Pour half of the tomatillo salsa into the bottom of a loaf pan.

Cut the chard stems at about where the leaves start. I normally make an upside down V with my knife into the stem. Set leaves aside.

Prepare your filling. This is where you can get creative. I used what vegetables I had on hand. You really need about a cup of filling. Saute the diced onion in the olive oil until transparent. Add the garlic, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant then add the carrot, celery, and radish. Cook for another couple of minutes, then add the rice and lentils.

Fill your chard leaves. Grab a leaf, scoop about almost two tablespoons of the filling, and add to the middle of the base of the leaf (widest part). Roll in the sides, while rolling towards the end of the leaf (smallest part). Make sure to hold the filling with your fingers, so it doesn't go all over the place. After one or two you'll get the hang of it.

Nestle the chard packages, seam side down, right onto the salsa in the loaf pan. Drizzle the rest of the salsa over the tops. Cover with foil and bake for about 20-22 minutes.

Enjoy with a side of lentils and chipotle sweet potatoes.

Instalunch: Tahini greens with millet

My camera is dead so I thought I’d post a quick & easy recipe using instagram instead. I picked a lot of vegetables this morning at my CSA and I knew just what I wanted to have for lunch. This recipe is adapted from Whole Foods Market.

Friday Favorites with Good Things Grow

Today's Favorite is from Jacqui, the woman behind the blog Good Things Grow, formerly known as So Good & Tasty. Jacqui's blog is full of delicious vegetarian dishes and wholesome sweets. She's also a member of the Food Matters Project, contributes recipes to the Whole Living blog, and photos for Bon Appetit. When she's not blogging or cooking, she's working as a graphic designer at her creative studio, Slide Sideways, with her husband, Scott. They whip up some beautiful posters, screen-printed stationary, and these awesome produce bags. Make sure to check out their etsy shop!

Jacqui, what's your favorite food?

Jacqui: Not many people can say they actually crave leafy greens, but I do! I incorporate them into my cooking everyday, even at breakfast time in a green smoothie or simply sauteed with an egg on top. Plus they love me right back by making me feel good and providing me with tons of nutrition my body needs.


Thanks Jacqui! Have a lovely (hopefully warm!) weekend, everyone!