Swiss Chard

Have you ever cooked with swiss chard? I was watching The Today Show on Saturday morning and Giada de Laurentiiss was cooking at pasta with swiss chard and spinach. I found it at the Farmer’s Market and thought I might as well try it, I love greens. On Wednesday, I threw together this quick pasta dish with a leftover chicken tender from lunch that my nephew didn’t eat.


Whole Wheat Fettuccine with Chicken and Swiss Chard
(1 serving)

1 chicken tender, diced
3-4 swiss chard leaves, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 baby zucchini and squash, diced
2 scallions, chopped
Dashes of: crushed red pepper and thyme
1 TB Extra virgin olive oil
1 TB Butter
Fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp lemon zest (optional)
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 serving whole wheat fettuccine, cooked

I used a combo of olive oil and butter because I like the taste. This dish is not very saucy, so if you like more sauce, you can add some marinara sauce or even more butter. Warm up the olive oil and butter over a medium flame (I miss my gas stove in Fiji). I still talk about flames even though I use an electric stove. Anyway, throw in the garlic and scallions and let them brown up for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the thyme, crushed red pepper and lemon zest. Add the squash and zucchini and sauté’ for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften and brown; then the swiss chard. The swiss chard will cook down tremendously (as seen in photos), so don’t worry if you think it’s too much. When the swiss chard has wilted, chuck in the chicken tender pieces. When the chicken has warmed up for 1-2 minutes with the veggies, turn off the flame and set aside. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then fold in the fettuccine. Finish it off with grated parmesan cheese and the fresh basil.


P.S. I’m still trying out online dating. Maybe eventually my recipes will go from “1” serving to “2”!!