Green Smoothie of LIFE

Ingredients

Handful of dino kale (or any other edible dark, leafy green)

Handful of rainbow chard (or any other edible green)

Stick of Celery

Half cucumber

Small handful cilantro or other herbs

Bit of ginger, chopped

Pinch of salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon/lime

1 cup coconut water (electrolytes!) or water

1/8 teaspoon stevia, or a few dates, or a bit of agave - I like things sweet =)

Frozen banana, chopped

2 frozen strawberries, optional

Directions

That's all, folks! Blend them all up 'til it's smooth and creamy and sip away. I drink them in my mason jar with a straw and before I know it, the jar is empty.

Recipe found at: http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/2011/10/elixir-of-life-green-smoothie-recipe.html

Swiss Chard with White Beans and Job’s Tears

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked Job’s tears (or barley, farro, buckwheat groats, or spelt) or 1 cup cooked hominy
• 1 bunch chard, about 12 ounces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 16 ounces Great Northern beans (1 can, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 8 kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (optional)
• generous grating black pepper
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the Job’s tears or your choice of grain according to package directions. For Job’s tears, I used 2 cups of water and cooked, covered, on low for an hour. Then I drained the water off before proceeding with the recipe.
2. Remove the stems from the chard just where the leaf meets the stem. Chop each stem into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside. Slice the leaves into 1/2-inch slices and keep separate from the stems.
3. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chard stems and the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion begins to turn golden. Add water a tablespoon at a time to prevent sticking, if necessary. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.
4. Add the cooked Job’s tears, beans, tomatoes, basil, and olives and bring to a simmer. Add the chard leaves, reduce heat to medium, and cover tightly. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender (allow 5-12 minutes, depending on your taste). Add the nutritional yeast and vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste

Notes

If chard is unavailable, kale makes a good substitute, though you may not need the balsamic vinegar, which I use to cut the bitter flavor of the chard.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 20 minute(s)

Recipe found at: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/05/swiss-chard-with-white-beans-and-jobs-tears.html

Gemelli With Sausage, Swiss Chard, and Pine Nuts

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 pound Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves cut into thin strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound gemelli, or other short pasta
• 3/4 cup raisins, plumped in boiling water and drained
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. In a large skillet, toast pine nuts over medium-high heat, shaking the pan to toast evenly, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet.
2. In the same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage, and cook, breaking it up with a fork, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add chard, garlic, and pepper; cook, tossing, until chard wilts, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover to keep warm.
3. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions, about 12 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot.
4. Add sausage mixture to pasta with 1/2 cup reserved cooking water, raisins, toasted pine nuts, and Parmesan; toss to combine. Add more cooking water if pasta seems dry. Serve with more Parmesan.

Swiss Chard Quiche

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/2 recipe Flaky Tart Dough
• 10 large eggs
• 2 cups creme fraiche
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• 2 heaping cups torn Swiss chard leaves
• 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
Directions
1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough into a 16-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off any excess flour; fit dough into a 2-inch deep-dish tart pan with a removable bottom, gently pressing it into the sides. Using a sharp knife, trim the dough evenly with the edge of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap; chill tart shell until firm, about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Line the tart dough with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Transfer to oven and bake until light brown, about 25 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper and continue baking until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together 1 egg and flour on high speed until smooth. Add the remaining 9 eggs and continue mixing until well blended.
5. Place creme fraiche in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth; add milk and continue whisking until well combined. Add to mixer along with salt, pepper, and thyme; mix until well combined. Strain mixture into a large bowl through a fine mesh sieve.
6. Tightly pack Swiss chard leaves and cheese into prepared tart shell. Pour over egg mixture until tart shell is full (you may not need to use all of the egg mixture). Bake 20 minutes; reduce temperature to 325 degrees, and continue baking until filling is slightly firm, rather than liquid, and crust is a deep golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes more. Transfer quiche to a wire rack to cool until set, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. To reheat, cover quiche with aluminum foil and bake in an oven heated to 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Orange

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 bunches Swiss chard (large stems removed), leaves cut into 1-inch strips
• Zest from 1 orange, cut into wide strips, plus juice
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add Swiss chard and orange zest. Cook, tossing frequently, until chard wilts, about 4 minutes. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper, then add juice of the orange; toss to coat.

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Ingredients

• 2 bunches (about 1 1/2 pounds total) Swiss chard, stalks cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (keep stalks and leaves separate)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Wash chard, leaving some water clinging to stalks and leaves; set aside. In a large saucepan with a lid, toast the pine nuts over medium-high heat, shaking pan to brown evenly, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.
2. In same saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add stalks, and cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add leaves, raisins, and garlic. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Pull lid back slightly, and tilt pan to pour off water. Stir in vinegar and pine nuts; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Rainbow Chard with Pine Nuts, Parmesan, and Basil

13 to 14 oz. Rainbow chard (about 1 large bunch)
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. pine nuts
Kosher salt
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (8 to 10 large)

Pull or cut the stems from the chard leaves. Cut or rip the leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces and wash and dry them well. Rinse the stems and slice them crosswise 1/4 inch thick.
In a 12-inch nonstick stir-fry pan or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the pine nuts to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the chard stems and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrunken and beginning to brown lightly, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chard leaves and 1/4 tsp. salt. Toss with tongs until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. (If using a skillet, you may need to add the chard in batches, letting the first batch wilt before adding more.) Remove the pan from the heat, add the cold butter pieces and stir just until the butter has melted.

Using tongs, immediately transfer about half of the leaves and stems to a serving plate and arrange. Sprinkle on half of the Parmigiano, basil, and pine nuts. Layer on the remaining leaves, stems, and pan juices, and garnish with the remaining cheese, basil, and pine nuts. Serve immediately.

Source: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/rainbow-chard-pine-nuts-parmesan-basil.aspx