After my recent move from Queens to Brooklyn I picked up a cold with a bad bad cough. It took a course of antibiotics and lots of cough syrup to make it go away. But I wouldn't consider my medications the only contributing factor to my recovery. I have to give my red swiss chard infused soups a little credit too.
I often cook with what I have on hand and this time I went out of my way, while sick, to pick up this nutritious leafy green. I don't think many people in Latin America use it. I certainly don't ever remember seeing it until about 4 years ago while wondering through a local NYC farmer's market. It took me a while before I got the guts to buy it, but after I did I found that sauteed with some extra virgin olive oil was one of the simplest side dishes I have ever made. Wrapping my head around the fact that a lot of people use it in their soups was quite difficult though. I've just never been a fan of leafy greens in my soup. In Colombia my family always used to make all types of soups with beans, plantains, vegetables, rice and even with eggs. It could be that my mom and aunt never made me leafy soups because they knew I didn't like creamy soups or soups with soggy vegetables. (I'm coming around to some cream soups). As it turns out though swiss chard and other leafy vegetables like kale retain some texture even after they are cooked. Not only that they also happen to contain a lot of the nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants that help you stay healthy. As they say this was exactly what the doctor ordered!
With the health factor in mind, I decided to buy one bunch of red swiss chard to make myself soup enriched with tons of vitamins and minerals. The moment I got home I cleaned and chopped what I was going to use, and stored the rest of the swiss chard in the refrigerator. Then to make things very simple I used canned white bean soup and minestrone soup as pairings for my red swiss chard. Both iterations were delicious and they lasted me the entire week!
Below is what you'll need for each recipe,
Buen Provecho! =)
Red Swiss Chard and White Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
1-2 cups chopped red swiss chard
1 can cannellini beans
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1-2 links chicken or turkey sausage
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
Cut the sausage into one inch cubes and saute in pan.
In the microwave, heat the chicken stock until it boils.
When you see that the chicken is semi done, saute with the onion and garlic for two more minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.
Wash the cannelini or white beans and add them to the pan.
Let everything saute together for a couple of minutes before adding the chopped red swiss chard. Let the chard wilt for a minute and add the chicken stock.
As you stir use the back of your spoon to press a small portion of the white beans to make a paste. It will give the soup a thicker consistency.
Let it simmer, serve, add Parmesan cheese to your liking.
Red Swiss Chard with Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
1-2 cups chopped red swiss chard
1 can organic minestrone soup
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
handful of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 pepper (any color), chopped
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
In the microwave, heat the chicken stock until it boils.
Saute chopped onions and garlic with extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped half pepper and sliced grape tomatoes and saute. After a few minutes add the chopped red swiss chard, let it wilt and then stir.
Add the cup of chicken stock and the can of minestrone soup.
Stir everything together and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Not too long since the vegetable soup is usually ready to eat. Add Parmesan cheese to your liking.
And voila! You just made some super healthy and delicious soup with swiss chard. Enough to help you get through the upcoming flu and cold season!
For more recipes check out my blog Tofu con Sazon