Hearty Pan-Seared Chard Salad

My little sister is hilarious. Is that an odd way to start off a blog post for a delicious new recipe? Most definitely. But is it applicable? For sure. You see, Abby is an incredibly opinionated young lady. This is, on the whole, a wonderful thing. I love that she is eager to voice her ideas and thoughts. She's not afraid to make herself heard. But sometimes, this tendency of hers can be, um, super annoying. Case in point: it doesn't matter what I cook, whether it's something I've invented or a published recipe - she will always have a critique. Something is always wrong. Abby is kind of like the food critic in Ratatouille. She can find something not quite right in every dish except for mac n' cheese. Which is really convenient, seeing as I don't make mac n' cheese... oh well.

Last night's dinner, however, was an exception - almost. Abby actually liked everything in the dish, which absolutely shocked me. Her one comment was that the salad could do without the chard, because she's not a fan of green things. Sorry, Abby. I'm not going to eliminate the main vegetable from the recipe. But hey, at least she liked it better than spinach or arugula ("I hate spinach, Maya. It's...gross" - Abby). I must say, I was rather pleased with her verdict on this Hearty Pan-Seared Chard Salad. We are making progress, my friends; who knows? Perhaps by the time I'm ninety-seven, she'll truly enjoy a meal I make. Now that would be a treat.

Chard is one of my all-time favorite greens. Loaded with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, it is a wonderful addition to a plethora of dishes. Perhaps try cooking it up with some scrambled eggs and cheddar for breakfast, add it to a soup or pesto, or top a Paleo pizza crust with chard, mozzarella, and tomatoes. I find it to have a denser, heartier texture than its cousin, spinach, and it has a much more mild taste. According to this article from Time.com, 90% of Americans don't eat enough fruits and vegetables! This recipe is a simple way to incorporate leafy greens into your lifestyle. Not only is it healthy, but it actually tastes good - flavor and nutrition can coexist. You don't have to eat raw kale salads every day to be healthy. So please, my friends, enjoy this quick week-day meal! I hope you find it to be just as tasty as my family did.



Hearty Pan-Seared Chard Salad
Serves 4-5 people
Ingredients
- 2 bunches rainbow or Swiss chard
- a few handfuls of heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups of mushrooms, any kind, sliced
- plenty of avocado oil or grass-fed butter/ ghee
- 4 to 5 Sausages. Italian sausages will work just fine, but I used this Smoked Buffalo and Pork Jalapeno Cheddar Bratwurst
- 2 tsps. minced garlic
- salt, paprika, and Italian seasoning, to taste
- Optional: 4 eggs to poach, pine nuts, and/ or a bleu cheese dressing

Execution
Chop up and wash your chard. I'd suggest chopping it up first, removing the thick bottom portion of the stem and slicing the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Place the chopped chard in a bowl of cool water for a few moments, drain, and place into a salad spinner. You can skip this step and simply wash the leaves, but if you don't want any dirt in your Hearty Pan-Seared Chard Salad, I'd recommend using the handy dandy salad spinner. Remove the greens from the spinner and set aside. Heat avocado oil, grass-fed butter, or grass-fed ghee in a large skillet. Cast iron works really well, but any large pan will suffice. Pat your mushrooms with a damp towel and add to the heated oil along with the minced garlic. Cook until lightly brown, and most of the oil has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Salt to taste. Add your cherry tomatoes (and, if needed, more healthy fats) to the pan and cook until heated through. The skin of the tomatoes may wrinkle or burst due to the heat - don't worry, dear reader! This is a good thing. Remove the mushrooms and tomatoes and set aside. Place your thoroughly washed chard into the the pan and cook until wilted, about four minutes. Meanwhile, cook the sausages according to the package instructions. You can typically sizzle them up in a pan, or microwave them. I used the latter method, simply because I didn't have enough room on the stove top for another pan. If desired, you can also whip up your poached eggs while the chard is wilting. To do so, try this method or use silicon egg poaching cups. (Side note - I freaking adore silicon egg poaching cups. I want to shake the hand of their inventor). Once the chard is wilted, add your seasonings and stir in the sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes. Mix until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Now, it's time to plate your meal! Spoon the chard, mushrooms, and tomatoes onto a dish, top with a sausage and, if you chose to make them, a poached egg. Sprinkle with optional pine nuts. If you want, feel free to drizzle the seared salad with a creamy bleu cheese dressing. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for taking a look at today's post, my friends. I truly hope this recipe satisfies both your nutritional goals and taste buds - feel free to tailor it to your tastes. Maybe try a different leafy green, or use crumbled bacon instead of sausage! Whatever floats your boat. I am so grateful that you took the time to tune into The Avocado and Me today; I know it's a very busy time at my school, and that stress levels are on the rise. Life is chaotic, and it means so much to me that you took five minutes out of your day to read my words. Please remember to take care of yourself first - you are gorgeous human beings. Have a fantastic rest of your week!

Ta-ta for now,
Maya

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash, Photo by PHÚC LONG on Unsplash, 
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash, Photo by Dose Juice on Unsplash, 
Photo by Maya