Creamy Tomato-Chard Pasta

This is an easy vegetarian (though not vegan) recipe. It's nice and light and fresh-tasting and perfect for summer. You can sub any green leafy for the chard; just remember, the "woodier" the green (like chard or kale) the longer it will need cooking. Delicate leafies like spinach don't take long at all, so start the onions in advance with those. Substitute fresh tomatoes if you have high quality ones available to you.

Creamy Tomato-Chard Pasta

Ingredients

About 1 pound of pasta, cooked al dente per package instructions
1 T. oil
1 package (or bunch) chard, washed, de-stemmed, and chopped
1/4 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, semi-drained (the tomatoes don't have to be bone dry, just not swimming in juice)
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 t. dried basil
salt and pepper

While your pasta is cooking, add the oil to a large pan. Add the onion and saute a minute or two, then add the chard and garlic. Saute until the chard is tender, maybe 7-9 minutes. This will take a lot longer if you didn't get all the stems out. Add the tomatoes, basil and cheese, stir, and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt. Salt and pepper to taste, then mix in the pasta.

Thanks to food.com for the inspiration for this recipe.

Swiss Chard Tart

Don't be scared by the name. This is good (I promise). It's also a painless way to use lots of greens, and even maybe get your kid to eat them, too. I adapted it from a recipe from a friend, who I believe got it from The Joy of Cooking. If you got a Full Circle box last week, that chard isn't getting any fresher. You can substitute any greens for the chard.

Swiss Chard Tart

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. olive oil

Guts:
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound (1 bunch) swiss chard, most of bottom stem removed, chopped (give it a good wash, it's usually dirty)
1 1/2 t. dried basil
1/4 t. salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
3 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the oil and water and thoroughly combine. Press the dough into a square baking dish or tart pan and put in the fridge for at least an hour.

When you are ready to start cooking, preheat oven to 375. In a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic in the 2 T. of oil, over medium-low, until the onion is translucent. Add the chard and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir fairly frequently.

Remove from heat. Add the salt, pepper, and basil.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and cheese. Stir in the veggie mixture from the pan. Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until golden brown on the edges and firm, about 40-45 minutes. Cool. Serve.

Here's what your crust dough should look like when it's ready to be pressed into the pan.

Hot out of the oven!

Ready to eat

Beans and Greens (and Ham) Recipe

Here's my adapted version of the Beans and Greens recipe. I will say it was pretty good, and I think it would be good without the ham (but I would definitely use a nice, sharp cheese as a garnish in that case). The good thing about this recipe is it uses a whole head of green leafies, but it doesn't taste like you just ate 1/4 of a head of green leafies. I personally find just plain braised greens to have a tendency to taste a bit swampy. Of course, that could just be me cooking them incorrectly. The downside to this recipe is it's fairly hands-on and time consuming, so while it's super easy and cheap to make, you have to be around the house for over an hour before dinner time.

Beans and Greens and Ham (oh my!)
2 c. soaked white beans
1 onion
1 bay leaf
1 clove
salt and pepper (lots of it!)
1 c. chopped cooked ham
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
2 T. olive oil
grated sharp cheddar cheese, for garnish

Cover the beans with fresh water and bring to a boil. Throw in the onion and clove and bay leaf. Gently boil (partly covered) the beans about 30 minutes, until they are semi-soft. Stir occasionally.

Salt and pepper the beans, add the ham, and stir. Add water as necessary. Stir occasionally as you cook until the beans are cooked (another 20-30 minutes).

Add the greens and cook until they are tender, about 10 minutes more. Again, add water if necessary. (I ended up over cooking the greens waiting for my husband and one of my sons to get home, and it still tasted good and not swampy or slimy at all).

Remove the onion, add more salt and pepper as needed. I added an additional sprinkle of ground cloves. Stir in the olive oil. Serve it in bowls and garnish with the cheese.