Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Dark Days: Winter Salad & Chard Cheese Bake

Dark Days Challenge 09/10, week 7. Start with local organic Swiss chard ("It's so pretty, Mommy! Pink and yellow.").



Steam the chard. Mix together some homemade organic bread, grated local cheddar cheese, local eggs, local milk, and a bit of local organic onion.



Combine. Bake.

Zest and juice part of a (guilty) lemon; tame it with a bit of sugar and olive oil, add some salt. Then dress the leftover local organic roasted sweet potatoes, turnips, and (non-local) garlic. This is winter salad.



Serve to delighted family. They like the taste, and I also like the ease, nutrition, and simplicity.



A note about balanced meals: I am particular about having vegetables, carbs, and protein at meals. Chard Cheese Bake is basically complete: protein from the eggs and cheese, carbs from bread, and vegetables from chard and onion. But I like a bit more for dinner. So root vegetables, which hover between vegetable and carbohydrate, are a good companion for this meal. They are chewy and smoky from being roasted - a nice contrast to the soft, rich egg dish - and adding the extra punch of vegetable and tummy-filler for the children.

3 comments:

Leila said...

My crew isn't to fan-filled when it comes to chard. Sigh. And it's so easy to grow... But yours looks yummy to ME!

Thanks for all your enthusiasm about the quilt. I answered some of your questions in the comments, hope it helps!
XOXO!

Christian - Modobject@Home said...

Your "dark days" posts amaze me and inspire me to try harder to purchase more local food products. And, all those vegetables (chard and turnips) -- I'm afraid my boys wouldn't quite be "delighted" without a little persuasion!

Margo said...

Christian, I meant to put in the post and forgot - that the chard recipe is from Simply in Season.
About the kids: it helps a lot that we shop together at the farmer's market and my kids recognize the standholders ("are these potatoes from Mr. Groff or Ruth?" I'll hear at dinner sometimes). But I also just set dinner on the table with little explanation or outward qualms. My son did spit out a turnip with great disgust (we tried very hard not to laugh), but later in the meal, he cleaned his plate. And my kids sometimes won't eat any fruit or vegetables, and then suddenly devour everything the next day or week. I just keep on cooking :)
(long comment, but this is one of my favorite topics)