Swiss chard and rice soup

I made this yesterday with my Lay Nay Ferme greens and it's delicious!

from the New York Times

created by Martha Rose Shulman

This is a simple and comforting soup that is especially delicious in the spring, when Swiss chard is at its sweetest and most tender.

2 pounds Swiss chard (2 generous bunches)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, finely diced

Salt to taste

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 quarts chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme

1/2 cup basmati rice

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)

Freshly grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

1. Trim the bottoms of the chard stems. If the stems are thin and fibrous, separate the leaves and discard the stems. If they are wide, separate the leaves and cut the stems into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside with the celery and onion. Wash the leaves in 2 changes of water and chop medium-fine.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion, celery and chard stalks. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock or water, bouquet garni and rice. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Stir the chard into the soup, cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust the salt. Serve with fresh lemon wedges for people to squeeze into their servings if desired and Parmesan for sprinkling.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Advance preparation: This can be made through Step 2 a day or two ahead. It can be frozen. The rice will absorb liquid as it sits, so you may want to add more when you reheat.

Nutritional information per serving (4 servings): 191 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 33 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 491 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 10 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (6 servings): 128 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 22 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 327 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”

Arugula salad and spinach frittata

Eat your greens - they are good for you!

We just got our first  fresh picked, full of vitamins,  produce bag from La Nay Ferme - a local organic farm. It has baby veggies (carrots and turnips) and lots of greens, including spinach and arugula. I went searching for recipes and found these two winners for dinner tonight. Every plate was licked clean.

Frittata 

from March 2013 Sunset Magazine

(original recipe has swiss chard - I substituted spinach)

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Italian turkey sausages (8 oz total), casings removed

1/2 cup each sliced red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, and chopped onion

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped

8 large eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat broiler with rack set 4 inches from heat. Heat oil in large ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Cook sausage, stirring often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper, mushrooms, and onion and cook until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 10 minutes (less for spinach).

Meanwhile, whisk eggs in large bowl until they start to foam. Stir in cheese and salt. Pour mixture into pan with vegetables; cook on stove until bottom sets, about 3 minutes. Broil until firm and browned.

Arugula, Fennel, and Orange Salad  from Allrecipes.com

Rated: Submitted By: Ms.P. Photo By: Piglet1983 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 6

"A honey-and-lemon-juice dressing is drizzled over arugula, fennel, oranges, and olives in this tasty salad recipe."

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 cup olive oil

1 bunch arugula 2 orange, peeled and segmented 1 bulb fennel bulb, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper; slowly add the olive oil while continuing to whisk.
2.	Place the arugula in the bottom of a salad bowl; scatter the orange segments, fennel slices, and olives over the arugula; drizzle the dressing over the salad to serve.

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

I want to try this:
from Dr Weil

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

Description

This is an old-fashioned dessert that most people thoroughly enjoy eating. The baked fruit filling is crowned with a thin biscuit topping. It can be eaten warm or cold, plain or topped with vanilla ice cream. Food as Medicine A study at Tufts University found that blueberries have the highest antioxidant content of the 60 fruits and vegetables analyzed. The antioxidants in blueberries - anthocyanins - are responsible for this berry’s dark blue hue and its ability to reduce free radical damage to the body's cells. Just one-half cup of blueberries provides the antioxidant power of five servings of peas, carrots, apples, squash or broccoli. Peaches, with their bright orange flesh, provide different kinds of antioxidants: carotenes such as lutein and zeaxanthin. At only 40 calories each, peaches are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and zinc.

Ingredients

FILLING 5 peaches, peeled and sliced 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1/2 cup sugar Pinch nutmeg (less than 1/8 teaspoon) 2 teaspoons cornstarch BISCUIT TOPPING 5 tablespoons softened butter or Spectrum Spread 2 cups flour plus 1/4 cup flour for rolling out 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup milk GLAZE 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring all the filling ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan, then turn down heat and simmer until the filling becomes thick. Spoon the thickened fruit filling into a medium (at least 10 x 8-inch) baking or casserole dish, and spread it around evenly until it meets all sides of the dish. Using clean hands, pinch the butter and the flour together between your thumbs and forefingers until the flour and butter become crumbly. Mix in the sugar, baking powder, and salt and slowly stir in the milk to make a soft dough. Sprinkle a work surface with the 1/4 cup flour, knead the dough lightly a few turns on the floured surface, and roll out to a perimeter approximately the size of your baking dish. With a cookie cutter or a glass cut out 10 biscuits and lay them slightly overlapping on top of the fruit filling, using scraps of leftover dough to fill in any uncovered spots. Sprinkle the top with the sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until biscuit topping turns golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. To serve, scoop out a biscuit and fruit filling and transfer to a dessert bowl or plate. Serves 10 Per serving: Calories 241.8 Fat 6.9 g Saturated fat 4.1 g (25% of calories from fat) Protein 3.9 g Carbohydrate 42.3 g Cholesterol 19 mg Fiber 2 g This recipe is from The Healthy Kitchen - Recipes for a Better Body, Life, and Spirit(Hardcover) by Andrew Weil, M.D. and Rosie Daley (Knopf)