Beautiful Swiss Chard in Olive Oil Delicious and Healthy

My inspiration for this recipe comes from this season. A simple vegan dish is filled with nutrients, rich in olive oil, delicious and yet earthy and humble. As we celebrate the olive oil harvest in Palestine this time of the year.

Chard, which means saleq in Arabic, is a green leafy vegetable and is native to the Mediterranean region. Chard is packed with vitamins and contains an impressive amount of fiber, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs.

Here in the US, it’s commonly called Swiss Chard though has nothing to do with Switzerland or rainbow chard. Swiss Chard contains beautiful colored stalks with a vibrant look, the stalks bring a buttery delicious taste to the dish once cooked.

Adding chickpeas to the dish, not only gives it an extra chewy taste but also turns it into a complete meal high in protein.

This quick easy recipe can be prepared in 10 minutes. I honestly cannot express how delicious it turned out. The slow cooking of chard in olive oil topped with an extra squeeze of fresh lemon juice makes this dish perfect for any weekday.

Here is how to make chard in olive oil.

Once chard is washed and rinsed, chop to medium size. Include both leaves and stalks, only cut out the very bottom of each stalk. In a small pot warm olive oil and sauté finely chopped onions until golden. Swiss chard may look like too much but just like spinach they will shrink once cooked.

Add chopped chard over sautéed onions and continue sautéing for 2 minutes. Cover with lid, turn the heat on medium-low, and let it cook for about 20 minutes or until it’s soft. Stir in previously cooked or canned chickpeas, salt, and cumin powder. Integrate everything well together, cover, and let everything cook for another 10 minutes.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice and serve with bread.

This recipe makes 2 servings.

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