Chard

The black-and-white colors of Orca beans have clearly been an inspiration to cooks and gardeners. In addition to the whale-reference name, the legumes are also called vaquero (which means cowboy in Spanish) and calypso beans. Creamy and starchy, Orca beans work well in hearty ...read more

Cooking butter until it browns is unbelievably easy and adds a nutty, sophisticated flavor. ...read more

Tender Swiss chard breaks down easily in a regular blender for smoothies that need no straining. Since red chard veins can bleed color, choose green chard to keep the verdant hue. Reserve chard stems for another use. ...read more

A torta is a free-form, double-crusted pie that requires no special pie dish. Serve with steamed carrots or roasted root vegetables. For more robust flavor, you can substitute kale or collard greens for the Swiss chard. ...read more

Tossing in a few chunky pieces of potato gives this soup a hearty feel. You can easily substitute your favorite greens for the chard. ...read more

Sliced chard stems are sautéed with leeks, then combined with chard leaves, garlic, and a velvety white sauce, and baked with a crispy breadcrumb topping. If you don’t have small custard cups or baking dishes, you can make one larger gratin using a shallow 4-cup baking dish. ...read more

Reader Recipe: Luanne Firestone, of Buffalo, N.Y., makes this hearty breakfast for her family on weekend mornings. “You can stack pretty much anything,” she says. “Don’t be limited by the recipe. Use your imagination!” ...read more

The edible skin of delicata or red kuri squash adds color and texture to this rustic pot pie. ...read more

This recipe calls for a spiral slicer, which cuts the zucchini into thin, pasta-like strands for a delicious take on the “classic” zucchini pasta with marinara. No spiral slicer in your kitchen? Try a julienne vegetable peeler or mandoline. ...read more

Gnocchi are a bit of a project, but well worth the effort for a special meal. If you have a small cookie scoop, use it to make fast work of portioning the dough. ...read more

Pine nuts and golden raisins lend a sweet, nutty touch to pan-sautéed Swiss chard served over protein-rich quinoa. ...read more

Thinly sliced sweet potatoes are both the filling and the crust for this hearty tart. ...read more

Sambal oelek is a very spicy, slightly sour Indonesian hot sauce made from whole ground chiles (with the seeds). This recipe was inspired by the spicy wontons that VT recipe tester Fiona Kennedy enjoyed on a trip to China. ...read more

This sauté is as much about the chard stems as it is about the greens. ...read more

Make a quiche for dinner with your favorite greens, then save a slice for lunch with a salad or raw veggies the next day. ...read more

Combining green cabbage with Swiss chard adds sweetness and color to this homey recipe. Season with salt at the end of cooking to keep the cabbage from turning soggy. ...read more

Andrea Love of Phoenix improvised this recipe by pulling together ingredients she had on hand. “This dish is best served warm or at room temperature. If you are not of fan of kale or Swiss chard, substitute fresh spinach,” Love recommends. This light-but-filling dish had VT ...read more

Years ago, Abigail Henson's sister, Mary Boccardo, turned her on to the idea of cooking school after seeing an ad for the Natural Gourmet Institute in the back of VT. Their paths led them away from their dreams of writing cookbooks and opening a teahouse together, but both ...read more

This recipe uses both the leaves and the stems of Swiss chard. Soaked pecans make a creamy filling that’s packed with protein and antioxidants. For sturdier wraps, use a double layer of chard leaves. ...read more

If tostadas are too fragile to transport, skip step 1 and wrap filling in tortillas. ...read more

Make this dish at the start of the evening, and leave it in the pan to be reheated when you’re ready to eat. ...read more

Bean stew, steamed greens, and warmed polenta make a complete Italian meal without a single saucepan to clean. ...read more

Corkscrew-shaped cavatappi pasta stands up to Swiss chard stems and provides plenty of surface area for the creamy sauce. Fusilli and penne also work well. ...read more

Swiss chard makes a great two-in-one pizza topping with its crunchy stems and tender spinach-like leaves. If you’re not a goat cheese fan, try the recipe with shredded fresh mozzarella. ...read more