Last night I made some beautiful rainbow chard for dinner. Yes, that’s right, just rainbow chard and let me tell you…it was delightful. Nothing tastes as wonderful as fresh, organic vegetables. You can taste the sun, the rain, just amazing.

Rainbow chard comes in pinks, oranges, reds, and magentas. It cooks and tastes like any other chard you may have eaten in the past but is absolutely stunning on the plate. The festive colors come through to mix with the flavors and delight all the senses.

What?!?!? You don’t like chard?!?!?!?

Let me guess, you think it tastes strong or bitter and leaves your mouth feeling funny. It’s true that chard has a distinct crisp bite to it, but the odd mouth feel is something you can easily remedy and is perhaps one of the most overlooked issues that come with cooking greens.

Greens contain Oxalic Acids, and before you get alarmed please keep in mind that oxalic acids are a much needed nutrient when ingested into the body in the form of greens, and the levels which greens contain are considered safe.

In humans, as it is processed by the body, oxalic acid combines with other substances to form various forms of salts, called oxalate crystals. These crystals are diluted in the body and then safely eliminated as waste. When we eat greens the oxalic acid mixes with the calcium in our saliva and produces calcium oxalate crystals. These crystals that form are what gives that funny gritty, or fuzzy feeling that is associated with eating greens.

So how come you taste and feel it sometimes and not others? It’s simple. Add a splash of your favorite Balsamic vinegar, or lemon or orange juice. Champagne Vinegar is a personal favorite! Give the greens a toss and serve! No more crunchy feeling (well, if you didn’t rinse the greens well you still might be crunchy) and all the fresh flavor of the greens comes shining though.

Here is quick and easy recipe for 2, double it for 4 and so on…you know the drill.

1 bunch fresh organic rainbow chard, washed and trimmed.
1 Tbsp olive oil
Fresh Lemon juice, or your favorite vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Tear the leaves from the stems of the chard and slice the stems into slender bite sized pieces. Add the oil to your pan and heat to medium…add the chard stems and cover. Cook fo r5 minutes until tender. Meanwhile I gather the leaves and roll them up and slice them in a chiffonade cut. Then slice down through the middle to shorten the chiffonade into delightful more petite ribbons. Add the leaves to the pan and cook covered for a 2-3 minutes. Drizzle with your favorite vinegar or the lemon juice, add salt and pepper and another drizzle of olive oil and give a toss around the pan to coat the leaves and serve.

The bright flavor and fun colors are a hit with kids and it could be the perfect way to make sure they benefit from this nutrient dense powerhouse. Add bits of cooked carrots, small pasta like ditalini, or sprinkle with some freshly toasted bread crumbs and freshly grated Romano cheese. Use your imagination to suit your child’s favorite foods and you will have a winner!

Have a fabulous Friday and do something delicious!

Colleen is a private caterer and personal chef. She lives with her wonderful family on a tiny farm and they raise Heritage breeds of waterfowl, poultry and game birds using 100% organic farming methods and pasturing.

Colleen has a long time love of food, wine, art and design and hosts the internet’s oldest, and favorite resource for the home wine maker at HomeMadeWine.net. Her blog and websites are viewed by thousands each day who enjoy her recipes, photographs and helpful kitchen tips.

Day 12, here we are at last. I was asked if I could make special categories for things like this, and I thought that sounded like a really good idea. If you look under the Categories tab at the left you’ll see that from now on anything that I do in a series will have its own special tab. Neat huh?

So here we are on Day 12, I really wanted something absolutely fabulous for this day, since it is our last. We have already done some pretty great recipes though so maybe some simple, super fast salads would be best to end with. I know we have all had that moment occur when you are invited to that last minute impromptu gathering and you have no idea what to bring. These salads go together in a flash and taste great.

This comes from the Florida Ag. Dept., hence the reference to florida products

Couscous Zucchini Salad

1 1/2 cups Chicken stock (remove excess fat)
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup Florida red pepper, chopped fine
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium Florida zucchini or yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 Florida serrano or jalapeño pepper, chopped fine

2 teaspoons Florida garlic, chopped fine

2 tablespoons fresh Florida basil, chopped fine

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1.Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add couscous, red pepper and cover. Remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes.

2.Heat a medium sauté pan. Add olive oil and cook zucchini until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

3.Mound couscous in center of a large platter. Arrange zucchini slices around. Serve warm or cold.

Simple Couscous Salad

6 ounces couscous

1 red bell pepper, medium dice
1 green bell pepper, medium dice
1 bunch green onions, sliced on the bias
6 ounces cucumbers, peeled, seeded, medium dice
4 ounces black olives, pitted
6 ounces red onion, julienne

DRESSING:
3 ounces orange juice concentrate
2 ounces water
2 ounces rice vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
3 ounces salad oil
1 ounce honey
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

1. Steam the couscous until tender; set aside to cool.
2. Combine the couscous with the vegetables.
3. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
4. Combine the salad ingredients with the dressing. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Simple Salad with Orzo and Herbs

yes, you must use fresh herbs in this salad

1 pound orzo
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces fresh or frozen green peas
4 ounces celery, small dice
12 ounces plum tomatoes, medium dice
1/2 ounce fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 ounce fresh chives, chopped
1/2 ounce fresh parsley, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and white pepper, to taste

1. Cook the orzo in lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Drain in a colander and rise well with cold water. Remove the orzo to a large bowl and drizzle 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of olive oil around the orzo and toss well.
2. Cook the peas in slightly salted boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water. Toss the peas, celery, tomatoes and orzo together.
3. Combine the remaining olive oil with the herbs, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and white pepper. Pour over the salad and toss gently to combine. Serve chilled.

I will be on vacation beginning today the 3rd of July through the 7th and will return on the 8th. I hope you all have a wonderful, safe Independence Day.

Our next series of recipes will be Cordials and Liqueurs you can make at home. Some things to gather in preparation for this are:

• 1 and 2 quart jars with good sealing lids (we will not be canning, but you’ll want good, tight fitting seals

• 80 and 100 proof vodka various fruits, vegetable and nuts

• decorative bottles if plan on gifting any of these

• and a tiny bit of patience…

Many of the recipes I have you will want to double, triple or make even more than that. They are excellent, easy and fun. I promise that with several, if not all of these, you will no longer buy the actual cordial or liqueur. They make wonderful gifts too. Besides cooking, making our own wines, cordials and meads is my favorite past time.

Something I would love is to have is a visit back to these when our 4 week wait is up so everyone who makes them can share their results. So I ask this question…

Would you rather do this series as sort of a weekly or monthly make along type group or just come back and share when you can? I would just really love to know how you all like these

Let me know via comments or email and I will decide when I get back based on your replies.
Many thanks!

Just a note to let you all know that the Homemadewine.net site will be going down for some maintenance for a few days. I have the tutorial and the glossary moved here so you’ll have them. But access to the recipes will be down. I apologize for the inconvenience!

Have a great Thursday and do something delicious!

Creatively serving the Greater Binghamton area in the lovely Southern Tier of NY. www.foodwineartdesign.com

Colleen is a private caterer and personal chef, she also hosts the internet’s favorite resource for the home wine maker at www.homemadewine.net. Her blog and websites are viewed by thousands each day who enjoy her simply explained, illustrated and photographed recipes and helpful tips.