Garden Space Saver

Lettuce and Cucumber

Create some extra space in your garden and provide shade at the same time. Make a trellis with a large empty wooden frame and some chicken wire or nylon garden mesh. Attach "legs" to one side so it will lean. Underneath the trellis plant anything that would benefit from partial shade. These include lettuce, spinach, chard, greens, and cooking herbs among others. On the other side of the trellis, grow vine plants like green beans, snow peas, or cucumbers. The leaves from the vine plant will provide the shade for the plants under the trellis.

Crustless Quinoa & Greens Quiche

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch cooking greens (kale, chard, spinach, dandelion greens, collard greens, etc), stems removed and cut into ribbons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 oz cream cheese or plain chevre, cubed
4 eggs
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease a 9-inch pie plate with either butter or extra virgin olive oil.

Use a fine sieve to rinse the quinoa. In a saucepan, combine the water and quinoa. Cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about twenty minutes. Fluff and set aside.
   
In the meantime, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and browned.

With the stove still on, scrap the onions in to a large mixing bowl and set aside, and then add the greens to the hot frying pan. Still on medium heat, cook until the greens are wilted and bright green, about two minutes.

Allow the greens to cool and then squeeze out any extra liquid using a sieve or a clean dish towel.

Add the greens, quinoa, garlic, cheddar, and cream cheese to the mixing bowl already containing the onions. Mix well until evently combined.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Add to the veggie and cheese mixture, and then stir until well combined. Add salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture in to the prepared pie plate. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden and the quiche has started to pull away from the edge of the pie plate.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Potato Salad with Chard

INGREDIENTS

4 large yellow potatoes, scrubbed
1 small bunch of chard
1/2 cup green onions, green and white parts, roughly chopped
1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste

DIRECTIONS 

Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add them to a large pot of boiling, salted water (enough to cover the potatoes) and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the water and set the potatoes aside.

In the meantime, wash the chard, trim off root ends, and rip into large pieces. Blanche the chard in boiling water for about 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, chard, and onion. In a smaller bowl, mix together the garlic, vinegar, oil, red pepper flakes, and salt. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and gently toss. Refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Simple Braised Chard with Garlic Scapes

INGREDIENTS

1 to 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 bunches fresh chard (about 8 cups)
1 to 3 garlic scapes, chopped
1/8 cup water or vegetable broth
Sea salt to taste
Optional flavourings: toasted sesame oil, ume plum vinegar, or tamari
Optional toppings: sesame seeds, chopped almonds or walnuts, toasted pumpkin seeds

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chard and garlic scapes and stir to coat them both with the oil. Cook until chard is barely wilted - just a few minutes - while stirring occasionally.

Mix in the vegetable broth or water and cook, allowing the chard to steam until barely tender. Add salt and optional flavourings and toppings as desired and serve.

Tofu and Coconut Curry

INGREDIENTS

1 (400 mL) can coconut milk
1/4 cup tamari, divided
1/2 tsp brown sugar or demerara sugar
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp chile powder and 1 tsp water, blended to make a paste
1 large onion, chopped
1 package (350 g) extra firm tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
4 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
4 cups chopped chard, bok choy, or other cooking green
Sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 3 tablespoons tamari, brown or demerara sugar, curry powder, ginger, and chile paste. Bring to a boil.

Stir onion, tofu, tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms into the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in basil and chard or bok choy. Season with salt and remaining tamari. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp.

Chard and Tomato Frittata

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 lb chard, chopped
6 egg whites
2 whole eggs
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 medium tomato, sliced

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the chard. Lower the heat, cover the skillet, and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain off any extra liquid.

In a large bowl, beat the egg white, whole eggs, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in the chard and the fresh basil.

Coat the bottom of a skillet with the remaining olive oil and return to medium heat. When hot, pour in egg mixture and then arrange tomato slices on top. Cover and cook until the edges are firm and the bottom is golden and beginning to brown. Turn frittata over and cook for about 5 more minute until eggs are cooked.

Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Serves 6 - 8.

Chard & Blue Cheese Parcels

INGREDIENTS

Handful pine nuts
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
200 g chard (or kale or spinach)
1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
Sea salt & black pepper to taste
250g shortcrust pastry
100g blue cheese, e.g. Roquefort or Stilton

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F (180 C).

Heat a large frying pan with no oil and toast the pine nuts for 2 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and set on one side.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently saute the onion with the garlic for about 10 minutes, until it is soft.

Wash the chard well and dry thoroughly. Shred it finely. Add the chard to the pan and saute with the lid on for 5 minutes, until the chard is wilted. Then remove the lid and continue to cook until most of the moisture has evaporated.

Roughly chop the pine nuts and mix in with the chard. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir well.

Roll out the pastry to about a centimer thick. Use a saucer and a knife to cut 4 circles, to make the parcels. Put 2-3 tablespoons of filling into the middle of each circle. Crumble the blue on top of the filling. Brush the edges of each circle with a little milk or beaten egg, then seal together to make a pasty shape. Brush the top of the parcels with milk or egg.

Put on a greased baking tray and bake for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crispy.

Chard and Beet Sautee

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs red beets (about 3 large)
4 lbs chard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
3/4 cup sliced green onions (about 3)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeno chiles, thinly sliced crosswise with seeds
3 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp golden raisins
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 Tbsp pine nuts

DIRECTIONS

Fold chard leaves in half lengthwise and cut stalks away from leaves. Cut leaves coarsely into 1-inch pieces. Slice stalks thinly crosswise. Reserve stalks and leaves separately. Cook chopped leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain and reserve.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add sliced stalks; sautee until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.

Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sautee 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup raisins. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Add chard leaves to pot; stir to heat through. Remove from heat; add lime juice and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons raisins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tofu and Rainbow Chard Stacks

INGREDIENTS

Tofu:
2 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine) (or balsamic vinegar)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 package extra-firm tofu

Chard:
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups thinly sliced rainbow chard
2 tsp tamari
1 or 2 cups cooked rice

DIRECTIONS

Tofu: Combine the first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 slices. Carefully place tofu in a 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Pour the soy sauce mixture over tofu. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, carefully turning once.

Preheat broiler.

Remove tofu from dish; save marinade for rice. Place tofu on an oiled baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes on each side or until tofu is lightly browned.

Chard: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, pepper, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add chard; cook 3 minutes or until chard wilts. Stir in 2 teaspoons tamari.

Place 1/4 cup chard mixture on each of 2 plates; top each serving with 1 tofu slice. Repeat layers with remaining chard and tofu.