Simple Sauteed Swiss Chard & Broccoli
This is a great recipe to keep in your back pocket for effortless weeknight dinners. It can be made with any veggies you have in your fridge, however, I'm particularly fond of this combo. And while chard is the star of this dish, broccoli is a close 2nd. I swear I could eat stir fried broccoli almost every day. I feel as though people overlook this green headed vegetable because it's often over cooked/over steamed, and therefore disgusting. When overdone, it's soggy and loses it's awesomely vibrant green colour, not to mention it's nutritional value. 5-7 mins is all it takes to whip this dish up becuase you are just gently cooking these veggies.
Chard is in the same subspecies as beetroot and, like many other vegetables, is has a different name depending on where you are. A few variations of this are: spinach beet, crab beet, bright lights, seakale beet and in South Africa, they just call it spinach. It does have similarities to spinach, such as, it's extremely nutrient dense, and it also contains oxalic acid (which is what makes your teeth feel a bit gritty after consuming it) This acid is broken down after cooking, and is not harmful to you. It's packed ful of vitamin A, K (1 serving is over 100% RDA of both of these!) and C (53%) and is also a good source of fibre. Chard can be slightly bitter, however, this also lessens with a bit of cooking, resulting in a very delicate flavor.
You can simply saute it with oil, garlic, salt and pepper and you'll be sorted. I've included a few additional ingredients to add more depth (and to satisfy my asian flavour craving).
I've included a 1/2 cup of quinoa into my rice, this is completely optional. It just adds a bit of protein, as well as a variety of texture and colour. All good things in my books!
INGREDIENTS:
serves 3
1 bunch of chard
1 head of broccoli
1 small white onion
1 cup rice (your choice, I used jasmine)
1/2 quinoa, red or white (I used red)
1-2 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs soy sauce, tamari or braggs
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of chili flakes
1 tbs coconut oil
pepper, to taste
1 tbs sesame seeds, white, black or both
1 tbs sunflower seeds (optional)
Rinse rice and quinoa and cook together in rice cooker. (1.5 cup of water is what mine used)
Rinse the chard, making sure to get all the dirt off. Cut the end bits of the stalk off and discard. Cut the rest in to 1/2" pieces, greens and stalk. Cut up broccoli into bite sized pieces. Slice onion into half moons. Heat oil in pan on medium and saute the onions. Stiring often for a few minutes, add the garlic, cook a few minutes careful it doesn't burn. Add the chard, broccoli, oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili flakes, stir until everything is combined. Place lid on your pan or wok and leave to simmer a few minutes. Shake the pan, checking there is enough liquid to continue to saute, add a bit of water or broth if it's gone dry. Place lid back on pan and leave for a few more minutes. Make sure not to over cook, broccoli & chard stems should still have some crunch and the chard leaves will be slightly wilted.
Place rice/quinoa into bowl and top with greens. Sprinkly with sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. You can even add a fried egg if you need a bit of a heartier dish... or your favorite animal protein. I've also added a small side of homemade kimchi (recipe coming soon!)
Enjoy!
