I love a good salad and I imagine I’m not alone. In the world of salads the lettuces get most of the attention. Recently, kale has been showing up on menus and touted as the darling of the superfood food group. However, there is another highly nutritious roughage gaining a bit of attention: Swiss Chard.
Swiss chard, especially the Rainbow variety is a truly beautiful garden favorite. With its curly deep green fronds interspersed with the telltale blood-red tendrils it is a plant that’s hard not to notice. However, because of its often red stalks many mistake it for rhubarb. Make no mistake this isn’t anybody’s rhubarb, not by a long shot. If you haven’t tried this beautiful leafy vegetable now is a good time to add it to your salad fixings. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s also a good choice on sandwiches, it works well chopped up in pasta dishes, as well as in your favorite hot soup.
I am partial to Swiss Chard with it’s rustic and earthy flavor and it it goes well with all of those typical and not so typical salad ingredients. Here, I have added additional garden fresh vegetables and a bit of sweetness by combining both summer ripe blueberries and crisp sweet Granny Smith apple. Below, you’ll find what you will need to make this wonderful and delicious Swiss Chard Garden Salad.
Swiss Chard Garden Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 -6 Swiss Chard leaves, whole or chopped
- 6 -8 zucchini, sliced with seeds removed
- 4 -6 heirloom pear tomatoes, whole
- 2 eggs, fried over-easy
- 2 -4 red or Spanish onion, halved and sliced
- 1/4 cup blueberries, whole
- 1/4 cup apple, cut shoestring style
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs, homemade
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Directions:
- Pulse in a food processor two slices of rustic white bread until you get fine breadcrumbs. Using a skillet over medium heat add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. When olive oil is hot, add bread crumbs a little at a time until all of the breadcrumbs are coated with olive oil. Stir bread crumbs until toasted. Add Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Pour contents into a bowl and set aside.
- On a serving platter arrange Swiss Chard leaves.
- Add red onion, zucchini, tomatoes, blueberries and apples.
- Top with fried eggs, toasted bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Serve.
Swiss Chard Garden Salad
Ingredients
- 5 -6 Swiss Chard Leaves whole or chopped
- 6 -8 zucchini sliced with seeds removed
- 4 -6 heirloom pear tomatoes whole
- 2 eggs fried over-easy
- 2 -4 red or Spanish onion halved and sliced
- 1/4 cup blueberries whole
- 1/4 cup apples cut shoestring style
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs homemade
- Kosher salt to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Pulse in a food processor two slices of rustic white bread until you get fine breadcrumbs. Using a skillet over medium heat add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. When olive oil is hot, add bread crumbs a little at a time until all of the breadcrumbs are coated with olive oil. Stir bread crumbs until toasted. Add Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Pour contents into a bowl and set aside.
- On a serving platter arrange Swiss Chard leaves.
- Add red onion, zucchini, tomatoes, blueberries and apples.
- Top with fried eggs, toasted bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Serve.
What are some of your favorite garden fresh ingredients you use to make a salad? Leave your answer below.
More Salad Recipes
Mojito Fruit Salad: Melon & Berry Salad with Mint Lime Dressing
Leave a Reply