Swiss Chard

This is the vegetable of the day. I should make it a point to highlight a certain vegetable weekly in this blog, but there are not many vegetables that excite me that much. I love vegetables, don't get me wrong. When prepared the right way, there are not many vegetables that I won't eat. It's just that I don't dream about them. Swiss chard, however, excites me enough to blog about it. I love this stuff. It's very good for you, a lot like spinach, but doesn't leave your mouth as chalky as spinach does. When we had that spinach scare, I used swiss chard as a substitute for most things requiring spinach. It's really pretty to look at too with those colorful stalks. I like to cook it this way:

A little olive oil to a heated pan
A clove of garlic, chopped
Chop up the stems and add to oil first. Saute a bit, then add the chopped up leaves. Saute until wilted sufficiently. Add salt and pepper. Yum-o! You can also add some balsamic vinegar to the pan to add a little zing.