Chard!

Hi all,

I know, I know. . .it's been over 3 weeks.  I was away for one of those weeks, and sans farmers' market.  I had to eat out on someone else's dime.  Sounds great until somewhere around day 5-6 when you say to yourself, "Geez, I coulda cooked this, and better, and not have given myself 3x the right sized portion."

So Saturday night I had steak with a baked potato and a side of chard.  Yes, chard.  Next time you're near the veggie counter or at the market, pick up a bunch.  To cook, first grab it by the fat end of the stem and strip the leaf off toward the top of the stalk.  Then slice what's left into strips and rinse it in a few changes of water.  Dry it in a salad spinner, if you have one.  If not, blot it with paper towels or kitchen towels.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add a little chopped garlic (1-2 cloves for a bunch of chard).  As soon as you can smell the garlic, throw in the chard and start stirring.  Once the chard's wilted and tender to the bite, take it off the heat.  It should have about the same "bite" as cooked cabbage.  Add a little red pepper flake and some lemon juice, and you have a lovely side dish.

Hey, I'm going to try to better about posting again.  'Til next time, I'll see you at the market!!

Stewed Tomatoes

Hi all,

I made mac and cheese both ways today - from scratch and from a box.  And guess what?  From scratch is cheaper and only takes 4 minutes longer than from the box.  When I was a kid, we always had canned stewed tomatoes with the mac and cheese, probably to offset the rich cheesy flavors and creaminess. 

I decided to update them with some fresh tomatoes, zucchini, and red onions and red sweet peppers (I used anaheims and bell).  I diced the onion and pepper finely (and removed the seeds from the peppers) and then sauteed them in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 4 minutes, until they softened and the onions were transluscent.  I added sliced  zucchini and stirred until it started to brown, then tossed in the tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar for the sweetness.  I drained off a lot of the liquid and seasoned with salt before serving.  Yum!

You can serve this side dish warm or at room temp, but if stewed tomatoes are a childhood memory of yours, I know you'll enjoy this updated dish.  Til next time, I'll see you at the market!