Creamy Swiss Chard & Green Garlic Pasta

Despite how obviously creamy and delicious this dish is, it's also healthy.

The recipe is slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen, she seriously can't go wrong, and the creamed chard is made with mostly whole milk with a little bit of butter and flour as a thickener.

You can certainly have the creamed chard by itself or you can mix in pasta like I did.

I had planned on using orecchiette which I swore I had at home and if you are shopping for this dish I would suggest regular chard as opposed to the colorful variety.

Given the horrible light when the dish was ready I had planned on taking pretty pictures the next morning.

I set some of the creamed chard aside to mix with some orecchiete I would purchase and cook the next day.  Luckily I snapped a few shots of the pasta dish before we ate it because in the morning when I glanced into the fridge I noticed that my chard concoction had turned completely pink.

Like bright, pepto bismol pink with green chunks.  It wasn't pretty but it still tasted darn good.

This is why I suggest buying the regular swiss chard. 

What started all this was the gorgeous chard and green garlic we received in our CSA box.

Green garlic is actually just young garlic (aka spring garlic) and you can see the garlic forming on the bottom.  Although it definitely has a garlic flavor, it's much milder than the traditional version.

If you don't have green garlic, which you mightn't, feel free to use spring onions, regular onions, green onions, leeks or a little of your regular garlic.  All of these options would be fantastic.

Creamy Swiss Chard & Green Garlic Pasta

1 lbs Swiss Chard, thick stems removed and leaves sliced, then chopped

3 stalks of green garlic, sliced thinly (from bottom to tender part of the greens)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (wheat or white)

1 3/4 cup whole milk

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 lb pasta of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

Make sure your chard is chopped up well to avoid any long stringy bits that your little one can choke on.
Rinse the chard and place it, still wet, in a large pot over high heat.
Cover it and cook until just wilted, stirring occasionally.
Pour chard in a colander and allow it to cool.

Start cooking pasta of your choice.
I always reserve a little pasta water just in case I want to thin out the finished dish.

In a small bowl heat the milk over low-medium until warm throughout, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, wipe out your pot, place it back over medium heat and sauté the garlic in the butter until soft.
Add the flour, whisking constantly until thickened.  Make sure there are no lumps.
Add the milk in a steady stream, while whisking constantly until incorporated and the sauce has thickened.  Add the parmesan and mix until melted.
Squeeze any remaining water from the chard and mix it in to the sauce.
Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.

Combine the pasta and chard mixture and serve!

~This can certainly be placed in a food processor and blended to make a very tasty puree!

*Variations
-Use any kind of pasta or mediterranean couscous
-Try this with greens like spinach or collard greens
-Add fresh herbs at the very end
-Use onions, garlic or leeks interchangeably

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits
Chard is an excellent source of calcium,  vitamin C, E, B6 & K, fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, protein, zinc and folic acid.  So good for you.

Milk contains calcium, protein, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins D, B12 & A as well as riboflavin and niacin.

Spinach & Red Quinoa Fritatta

This is one of those easy dishes that we all love.

It's delicious, packed with good things for you and it requires minimal dishwashing.

That's an all around win.

Mine came out a tad overcooked because the timer went off while Peanut was in the bath.  The timer was going off while I just sat there watching Peanut splash and thinking of my frittata getting darker and darker.  It's ok though because it wasn't too far gone and we still loved it.  

So don't cook yours until it looks like mine!

I forgot to take a picture the night I made it and got to it just in time.

By the next afternoon, between the three of us there was this one slice left.

Peanut followed me around saying please until I gave it to him and he ate the whole slice immediately.

You can see his little fingers grabbing at it in the last picture.

 

Spinach and Red Quinoa Frittata

4 cups spinach, rinsed and chopped

1 cup cooked red quinoa

1/2 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

8 eggs

1/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cup grated jarlsberg

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Pinch salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Heat your olive oil in a large oven proof skillet.

If you don't have an oven proof skillet don't worry.

Saute the onions until translucent, add your spinach and garlic and stir until wilted.

Add the cooked quinoa and mix.

In a large bowl beat the eggs and milk.

Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture over the spinach mixture and stir gently.

Place the pan in the oven.

If your pan is not oven-proof then transfer the mixture to a sprayed casserole dish.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the frittata is puffy and golden.

Keep an eye out, cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pan/dish.

If you are unsure a tester placed in the center should come out clean.

Enjoy!

 

*Variations

-You could easily make this in muffin tins for your little

-Change out the quinoa for a different grain

-Try this with cheddar instead of gruyere

-Use different vegetables, just remember to cook them first

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Eggs are a fantastic source of protein and contain all 9 essential amino acids as well as choline, lutein, riboflavin, vitamin B12, selenium and lots of other vitamins and minerals.

Spinach has lots of calcium, selenium, magnesium, folic acid, iron and vitamins A, C, D and K (which helps your body absorb calcium).

Quinoa is not actually a grain but a seed and is packed with protein and essential amino acids.

It's far more nutritious than rice and has more calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, fiber and zinc than many other grains.

Cheese is a great source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, folate, selenium and vitamins A, E, K and D.

Cheese and Veggie Mini "Quiche"

I use the word quiche very loosely here because I feel deep down in my soul that 

quiche requires a crust.

I need a food dictionary.

I'm even willing to say that using bread on the bottom would suffice but without crust

isn't it just baked eggs in a tin.

I thought that Cheese and Veggie Mini Baked Eggs In a Tin was pushing it for a title.

Anyway, I'm really lazy in the mornings.

I'm a night owl.  

I'd say it's residual nighttime wakefulness from years of working until past most peoples bedtimes

but my mom will confirm that I have always been a nighttime person.

Growing up my mom and I could get up in the morning and get ready for school and work

without speaking a word to each other.

So mornings are not the time for me to cook.  Ever.

And we don't even get up until around 8 am.

B's earliest shift starts at 9 and Peanut and I have no reason to do an earlier bedtime/earlier wake time.

I still lag in the morning.

I want to make things ahead that I can heat for Peanut.

He's not big on carbs so anything like pancakes or heavy starches isn't a hit at this point.

Whose child is he anyway?

I called it a very generic Cheese and Veggie Mini Baked Eggs in a Muffin Tin,

instead of cheddar and failed ratatouille (which is what I used- the sauté was a flop 

and I detest wasting food) because you can use absolutely any veggie and cheese combination.

Well that and the fact that failed ratatouille doesn't make a great title either.

It wasn't that the ratatouille was bad, it just wasn't that great.

Uneventful and Peanut wasn't really buying it.

My ratatouille consisted of onion, garlic, eggplant, zucchini, a little bell pepper,

stewed tomato, thyme and basil.

I marked this recipe for toddlers+ because of the eggs.

It really depends on when you want to introduce eggs.  

Peanut started eating them (as scrambles) around 10 months.

I know people who started their little ones on it far earlier with no problems.

If your little one is not on whole milk yet, fear not, according to the APA

cooking with it is not a problem.

Oh and by the way, add a little salt and pepper and these are perfect for grown-ups,

as you can see by the missing spaces in the picture.

B really liked them.

Cheese and Veggie Mini Quiche

4 large eggs

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta (you could also substitute with cottage cheese)

1/2 cup whole milk

3/4 cup shredded cheese (i.e. cheddar, swiss, gruyere, gouda, jack, mozzarella, etc.)

1 cup diced cooked veggies* 

(i.e. spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, asparagus, etc.)

1 tablespoon minced herbs (i.e. basil, thyme, parsley, dill, chives, etc.)

Preheat your oven to 325° F.

*Sauté or steam your veggies.

I like them sautéed in a smudge of extra virgin olive oil until they are tender.

Some veggies like broccoli or asparagus are better steamed.

Put it all in a blender and pulse until everything is in small pieces.

Normally I wouldn't do this but I want all the tiny quiche to have a bit of everything in them.

Spray your mini muffin tin lightly with olive oil and fill each cup.

I used a measuring cup to better control the pouring and make sure I had an even amount of filling.

Bake for about 25 minutes until they are golden.

Allow to cool and dig in!

Judging by the way Peanut was trying to shove them in his mouth-

I'd say these are winners.

The size was perfect for a finger food.

*Variations

Didn't I give you enough already?!

Alright.

-Add meats like chicken, pork or turkey but balance it by adding more flavor in the form of 

onions, garlic or herbs.

-Try adding curry, cumin or white pepper

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Simply defrost and reheat.

You can put a few in the fridge before bed the night before and

 zap in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until warm.

Or you can throw them in the oven to warm through (you could do this frozen as well).

*Benefits

Eggs are a fantastic source of protein and contains all 9 essential amino acids as well as choline, 

lutein, riboflavin, vitamin B12, selenium and lots of other vitamins and minerals.

Milk is packed with calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and protein.

Cheese is a great source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, folate, selenium and vitamins A, E, K and D.