chard with fettucini, lemon and cheese & a carrot call-out

It's winter and the CSA I belong to loves giving me chard and kale. My favorite way to prepare it is to saute it with garlic and shallots and then toss it up with lemon and Parmesan cheese. It's easy, quick and super tasty. Get the recipe over at Poppytalk.

Another thing that my csa loves to give me is carrots. I'm practically swimming in them. I've recently made soup, slaw and a spiced carrot quick bread, but I'd love to hear what some of your favorite ways of preparing them are. Help a girl out!

farm fresh dinner: new potatoes, braised greens and a beet salad

This weekend we got out into the country. On Saturday there was a hike to Lindeman Lake (don't listen to your guidebook, it's definitely not "easy") and afterward, there was time to check out a few local farm markets. I was hoping we could find a flat or two of local strawberries, but since we were nearing the end of the afternoon, everywhere seemed to be sold out. Our first stop was Wisbey Veggies in Chilliwack where I walked out with 2 very full bags full of local farm fresh produce for $20. Beets, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, snow peas, new potatoes, carrots, raspberries, zucchinis and mushrooms...all locally grown, all so delicious. A few minutes away, we discovered a goat cheese dairy selling all kinds of goat cheese products from ice cream to yogurt to gouda! I walked away with cheese curds (not goat) and some goat cheese feta. I was already imagining all the menu possiblities.

On Sunday, after a big breakfast and a little garage sale snooping, we decided to head out to visit our CSA farm in Langley for their open house weekend. It's a beautiful farm and we got a great tour from the very enthusiastic farmer, Stephen. We also got to pick out some seedlings to take home and harvest some of our own rhubarb and greens (kale, mustard, chard and arugula)! We even dug into the farm's cooler and into a tub containing mouldy leeks. Stripping off the gooey outter layers revealed a perfectly good leek, so we took a few of those home too. I think it's safe to say that when you harvest your own food, it tastes so much better and you get bragging rights which is always a good thing.

After looking through my haul on Sunday evening, I got to work. First I tackled the beets. I knew I wanted a beet and arugula salad topped with feta. Recalling a similar salad I made last summer, I decided to stick with a good thing but still make a few tweeks here and there. The beets were incredibly sweet and worked so well with the feta and the tangy dressing. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. For the new potatoes, I took the simple road. Boiled, buttered and sprinkled with fresh herbs from my garden. The mint made this dish and made the potatoes sing. I couldn't leave well enough alone, and as i gathered the beet greens, I decided to make use of the kale and chard as well, braising them simply with the leeks and a lemon. It was a farm fresh dinner from start to finish.

buttered new potatoes with mint & parsley
8 new potatoes
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 T unsalted butter
kosher salt & black pepper

Boil potatoes in water until tender. Drain. Coat with butter, fresh herbs and salt & pepper. Serve.

beet & arugula salad with goat cheese & pecans
8 baby beets, quartered or cut in half
arugula, torn
1/4 c goat cheese feta
2 T pecans, chopped
1 T sour cherry jam
1/4 c olive oil
1 t dijon mustard
2 T cider vinegar
salt & pepper

Boil the beets until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly so that removing the skin from the beets isn't too painful. Further chop the larger pieces of beets, if necessary. Set aside. Mix the dressing by combining the jam, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper until thick. Adjust seasonings to taste. Scatter arugula on plate, then the beets, feta and pecans. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

braised greens with leeks & lemon
2 lbs of assorted greens (chard, kale, beet greens is what I used)
1 T olive oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
3 leeks, sliced thinly
zest & juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

Rinse the greens very well to get rid of any dirt hidden within the leaves. Remove the tough ribs from the kale and discard. Chop the greens and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute the leeks and red chilies until fragrant. Add in the toughest leaves first (kale) and then the chard and then the beet greens. Reduce heat. What looks like a massive amount of greens will soon wilt into a very manageable amount. Add in the lemon juice and zest and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and stir about until all the leaves become wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Serve.

keep it simple stupid: quick n' easy rainbow chard & chickpeas over rice

Funny, I made a very similar meal last July. You'd think bringing out the heavy duty Le Cruset casserole pot would mean one thing: winter. But look at me? I defy the weather. It's hot, it's mid-July, and I'm cooking up a storm. I guess I really love the combination of chickpeas and chard. Don't mess with success...they just work so well together.

I whipped this up for a quick lunch because I was staaaarving and all the colours just looked so pretty together. I really thought about adding tomatoes to this dish, but in the end I decided to do without. In the ingredient list, I did add that you may want to add a lil' spoonful of fresh salsa to your bowl, but it really doesn't need it one bit. As for the feta, well, I love feta so I added some, but you can choose to top with another kind of cheese or just skip it altogether. This is a super easy meal to pull together. Just put the rice on first and then start with the rest. You should be eating in 30 minutes flat (or less if you skip the rice and just choose some crusty bread).


quick rainbow chard and chickpeas over rice
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 t red chili flakes
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 t kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
1 bunch of rainbow chard, chopped
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 c vegetable broth
1 juicy lime, juiced
1 sprig of fresh thyme, leaves only
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
crumbled feta, optional
fresh salsa, optional

Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno and red chilis in the olive oil over medium-high heat until fragrant. Throw in the chopped orange pepper and chard (stems included). Stir until chard becomes somewhat wilted. Pour in vegetable broth, thyme and chickpeas and combine everything. Squeeze in lime juice. Let simmer for 5 minutes so that all the flavours combine. Snip in some fresh parsley and if using, the feta and salsa to top. Serve over brown rice.

curry in a hurry: curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard

I made this dish last week when I was doing a lot of running around. I was out of the house most nights and did not spend a lot of time cooking, opting for days of adventure and fun instead of looking through cupboards for dinner. It was fine with me at the time, but now I'm paying for it in the worst way. I'm sick. My voice is gone and despite all the sunshine Vancouver has had in the last week, I couldn't go out and enjoy any of it!

So despite that this meal is hearty, nutritious and good for you, it still didn't save me from the flu — but don't let that be a deterrent in any way. I certainly don't hold a grudge and I'll be making this meal again as it was a simple dinner to prepare and it filled the kitchen with a wonderful aroma. When my husband walked in the door, he wanted to know what we'd be eating since it smelled so great. Lucky for us, this meal not only smelled amazing but it tasted better.


The wonderful thing about stews is that they are easy to mess with. Don't have chard? Try spinach or kale instead. I think some diced butternut squash or yams would lend a touch of sweetness to this dish that would really take this dish up a notch. Quick, easy and packing a wallop of flavour, it makes a great meal alongside a bowl of brown rice.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 heaping T of a medium-spiced curry paste
1/2 t dried red chili flakes
5 1/2 c vegetable broth
2 c red lentils
1 large bunch of rainbow chard, tough stalks removed, coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

In a large pot, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in curry paste and dried chilies and stir until well blended. Add broth and chard and bring to a boil. Add lentils and turn down heat to a simmer, adding the chickpeas to the mix. Cover and stir occasionally until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Serve over brown rice and top with yogurt, if desired.

beat the clock: italian minestrone with beans, pasta and chard

I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, but I've pretty much sucked at the documentation part of things. I could tell you about the amazing chicken tortilla soup I made yesterday for lunch or the wonderful spicy pork loin I roasted the other day, but without photos or a story, there ain't much to tell.


It's not that I'm becoming a bad blogger or anything like that, it's just that with the holidays around the corner and a trip to visit family across the country looming, time is of the essence. I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling pinched by time! Which is why this recipe for a hearty Italian pasta and chard soup is a perfect no-brainer. It's quick and simple and any leftovers make a delicious speedy and filling lunch. And top this bowl with some organic parmesan cheese...well, you can almost forget about all the directions you are being pulled in.


italian minestrone with beans, pasta and chard
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 rib of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1/2 c small soup pasta (I used a tiny pasta that was shaped like a baby's tears)
2 c chard, cut into fat ribbons
5-6 c vegetable broth
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried basil
1 t teaspoon salt
1 t teaspoon black pepper
parmesan (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add in onions. Saute until soft and then stir in the garlic, red pepper, carrots and sprinkle with 1/2 t of salt. Add in the tomatoes and pasta and the vegetable broth, stirring constantly so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Add in chard, beans and the remaining herbs and spices. Lower heat and cover until vegetables are done, about 15-20 minutes. Serve in big bowls topped with freshly grated parmesan.

rainbow chard & lady peas

Last week it was all "heat wave" and "sunshine" and now it's back to grey skies and threats of rain. Whatever, I'm going with the flow. I've got my head in the clouds anyway. Cornelius and I are planning a trip to Europe soon and we've been searching all over for the cheapest flights, browsing through travel books, and making lists on "must see" things to do. I'm all open to suggestions, tips, where to eat and stay (all on the uber-cheap, however!) in London, Belgium (Brugge, Brussles, Antwerp), the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Haarlem, Utrecht), Berlin and Lithuania. It's my first trip to Europe and last week received my passport in the mail. I'm so excited!

I made this meal on Sunday night when it was still hot outside and it made the perfect simple supper. I had come home with some fantastic rainbow chard from a recent grocery haul and I wasn't sure exactly what to do with it. I figured I could make pasta with greens again, but I was in the mood for rice and came up with this easy meal. Everything tasted so great together and even though the chard was steamed and wilty it still had a great bite. Topped with some feta cheese and parsley snipped from my garden, it was the perfect meal to sit curled up on the couch while dreaming up travel plans.

rainbow chard with chickpeas
1 bunch of chard, washed & rinsed
1 t dried chili pepper
1 small red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 small can of tomatoes
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper to taste
handful of parsley, chopped
feta cheese, optional

1. Cut off the bottom inch of the chard stems and toss. Chop up the remaining chard leaves and stems and toss all wet from rinsing into a pot on medium-high heat. Put on lid. About 4-5 minutes later remove lid and turn off heat. The chard should be all wilty and dark green and should have reduced considerably in size. Drain & set aside.

2. In a large pot, heat oil and add in onion, garlic and chili pepper flakes. Saute until translucent. Add in chard, chickpeas, lime juice and tomatoes along with a bit of salt & pepper. Stir to combine. Once everything is heated through...about 5 minutes, serve over rice with a bit of feta cheese and parsley to top it off.