April 12, 2013
Sunset Magazine featured a recipe for Swiss Chard Pesto Pasta about two years ago. Though I’ve had Swiss chard growing almost year round in my garden, only recently did I use it to make pesto.
The chard is growing well this spring and I’ve used it with dinner three times in the last week. Still plenty to share with friends and family from my four foot densely planted row.
I gathered enough chard for two cups chopped and packed well.
The ingredients assembled. I added a tablespoon of lemon juice to prevent the prepared pesto from turning an unsightly green due to oxidation.
Absent whole wheat pasta, I used what was on hand.
I like the delicate flavor of the Swiss chard pesto. Walnuts add omega 3’s, fiber and some protein. The olive oil used and the Fig and Anise bread (from Bread and Cie) made this a delightful Mediterranean meal.
Read more about the recent large Spanish study that demonstrated the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in preventing heart attacks, strokes and death.
Take the interactive quiz in the NY Times article to see if you have a Mediterranean diet.
Check out my post on using Swiss chard in Green Smoothies.