HomeNewsMixed greens madness!

Mixed greens madness!

I’ve been losing my mind (and spending way too much money) at the Farmer’s Market.

The vast array of beautiful fruits and vegetables overwhelms me every time. Last week, the bundles of Rainbow Swiss chard with its colorful stems and fan-like leaves were too tempting to resist. The watermelon radishes, which look like a rose-colored pinwheels inside, also captured my attention.

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I originally planned to cook the Swiss Chard with some smoke-roasted tomatoes and add the radishes to my coleslaw recipe. When it was time to prepare the greens, I decided to add a few cups of the leftover coleslaw vegetables (without any dressing on them) into the pot, too. It’s wonderful!

You also can add in kale or spinach, with or instead of the cabbage, if that’s what you have on hand.

Mixing fresh and frozen greens also works beautifully in this versatile recipe.

I love adding oil-packed, sun-dried or smoke-roasted tomatoes to finish the greens, but a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon peel also is tasty.

MIXED GREENS WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large bunches Swiss chard (about 2 pounds total), cleaned, stemmed and chopped, stems reserved (see Tip below)

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or water

1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 small head green cabbage, finely shredded

2 small watermelon radishes, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped, sun-dried or smoke-roasted tomatoes and the oil

1. In a large nonstick skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the Swiss chard stems, onion and carrot, and cook until the onion is translucent and the stems soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth or water and soy sauce, stirring to combine. Increase heat to high and bring sauce to a boil.

2. Decrease the heat to medium-low, add the Swiss chard, cabbage and radishes, if desired, and toss to mix. Cover and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until greens are tender. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar and black pepper. Remove from heat and serve with sun-dried or smoke-roasted tomatoes and a drizzle of the oil.

Makes 6 servings.

TIP: Store unwashed fresh greens in a plastic bag, removing as much of the air from the bag as possible, for up to 5 days. The longer they are stored, the more bitter the flavor becomes.

Do not wash greens before storing because exposure to water encourages spoilage.

To clean fresh greens, discard any leaves that are wilted, brown, yellowing or damaged. Immerse greens in a sink full of water and wash well to remove sand, grit and any debris. Lift out, drain, rinse and repeat until the water is clean.

To stem, make a V-shaped cut where the stem meets the leaf. Use the stems the way you would use celery, and cook them with the onions.

Stack the leaves and coarsely chop them into 3- to 4-inch ribbons, or roll several leaves together into a cigar shape and slice into thin ribbons.

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