Just like other leafy greens, chard is packed with nutrition. It is an excellent source of vitamins C, E, and K. It’s also an excellent source of several minerals, including potassium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. And, it’s a good source of many other nutrients including vitamin B6, protein, calcium, thiamine, selenium, zinc, niacin, and folic acid. It is one of the most powerful anti-cancer foods due to its combination of phytochemicals, chlorophyll, and soluble fiber. The generous amount of vitamin K that is contained in chard, is especially beneficial in the maintenance of bone health.
It's yummy, healthy & it's a beautiful ornamental in any garden!
I have to be honest…I wasn’t expecting chard to taste quite as good as it did the first time I prepared it. It’s so big and bold and colorful…I guess I was expecting the taste to be big and bold too. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong! It’s very similar to spinach in both it’s mild taste and smooth texture. I’m a huge fan of spinach so I was pleasantly surprised and chard is now officially one of my favorite greens!
Two of my favorite chard recipes thus far are a mushroom & chard side dish and mushroom & chard tacos. Apparently, I like the combo of chard with mushrooms. 
You can use Swiss chard or rhubarb chard (or a combo of the two) in both of these recipes…although the rhubarb chard may leave a tinge of red in your dish. I love that both of these dishes are fast & easy and they don’t require many ingredients. I’m certain that you can use whichever mushrooms you prefer in both of these dishes…they would all be fantastic. I serve the Braised Chard & Mushrooms with cooked quinoa or millet and sliced avocado on the side for a healthy and yummy meal!
Braised Chard & Mushrooms
| Braised Chard & Mushrooms |
- 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped or thinly sliced
- 8 ounces sliced button mushrooms (or your choice of mushroom)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large bunch of chard (tough stem/vein removed and leaves thinly sliced)
- additional vegetable broth (as needed)
- Place veggie broth in a large saute pan.
- Add chopped onion and saute over medium heat until soft and almost translucent (approx 5 minutes).
- Add the sliced mushrooms and minced garlic and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
- ** I typically keep the lid on my pot so that my broth will not evaporate and my veggies get nice and tender.
- Add sliced chard, cover, and cook for 4 – 5 minutes or until chard reaches desired tenderness.
- ** Add more broth as needed throughout the cooking process so that there is a small amount of broth in the bottom of the pan and nothing starts to stick.
And now on to a super healthy and easy taco recipe! These were inspired by this Whole Foods recipe that I saw on their site, once I realized that it’s very similar to my braised chard recipe with just a couple of things added at the end of cooking.
Mushroom & Chard Tacos
Mushroom & Chard Tacos ~ Prepare Braised Chard and Mushroom recipe. Once the chard is cooked tender, stir in 2 cups cooked and drained pinto beans (or one 15oz can of pinto beans drained and rinsed) to the pan and continue to cook uncovered until warmed throughout and all remaining liquid has evaporated. Serve with sprouted or corn tortillas, sliced avocado, and salsa…or any of your favorite taco toppings. **It’s important to make sure that ALL of the liquid has evaporated at the end of cooking!! I learned this the hard way. While mine were really delicious tacos…they were sort of mushy in the middle tacos…and nobody likes a mushy taco. 
Health & Happiness ~ Melissa
About Melissa
Oh my, looks so YUM! And your pics of the greens are fabu…
Wow, this looks delicious! Just found this website, can’t wait to try some of these recipes!