I created this Swiss Chard recipe after receiving my Viome superfoods list, which pretty much told me that everything I was eating was wrong. And I should eat a whole bunch of unknown foods instead. Viome tests for your gut bacteria from a tiny sample of poop and determines the kinds of food that will increase or support the good kinds of microorganisms inside your gut. I do not have any serious or debilitating underlying health conditions that I know of, but I still did the test to see what it finds out.
I developed this Swiss Chard Recipe for a contest in 2020, but it is time I bring it home to my own blog. This recipe indeed is a Superfood Powerhouse – Chard, Cranberry, Cilantro, Cumin, Turmeric.
Ingredients
- Red and White Chard – 2 Large Bunches
- Cranberry – Frozen (1/2 cup)
- Garlic – 1 Tbsp, fresh minced.
- Ginger – 1 Tbsp, fresh grated.
- Cilantro – chopped for garnish.
- Cumin – 1 tsp
- Ghee – 2 Tbsp
- Dried Red Chilies – 2 (optional)
- Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
- Salt: to taste
- Black Pepper: to taste
Method
- Step 1. Wash and Chop Chard (I used Red and White Chard). Chop the stems and leaves separately to get even cooking. I chop the stems 1/2 inch size and leaves about 2-3 inches
- Step 2. Chop Cilantro finely for garnish.
- Step 3. In the Inner Pot of Instant Pot Add 2 Tbsp of Ghee.
- Step 4. Add Cumin and Dried Red Chilly. Break them up if you want.
- Step 5. Next Add the Cranberry, followed by garlic and ginger and thicker stem (chopped) of chard.
- Step 6. Add the Chard Leaves, Salt, Black Pepper and Turmeric.
- Step 7. Put the Inner Pot inside the Instant Pot. And Set the Instant Pot to Steam, More, 0 Minutes and Venting Position. This helps evaporate all of the water and get you good dry consistency.
- Step 8. When the Instant Pot beeps, Wait for about 5 minutes and Open the Pot and Stir and mix everything well – so all of that tartness of cranberry and spices are all incorporated well.
Serving Suggestions:
- I make a vegetable Omelet with this. Crack open 3 eggs, mix steamed chard and make the Omelet.
- Eat with a side of Garbanzo beans.
- Eat as a wrap in buckwheat pancake.
- You can also garnish with Sunflower seeds for crunch.
- Eat with a side of grilled chicken, shrimp, roasted lamb or any other meats, if that is your protein of choice.
Variations for this Swiss Chard Recipe:
You can also add pitted olives and canned asparagus as well to this recipe in the end.
Also Swiss Chard, Red, White, Orange, Rainbow – Any Chard goes for this recipe. It is all good for you.
You can add Radicchio to this Swiss Chard Recipe. It is difficult to eat radicchio by itself because of bitterness. Cooking pretty much eliminates the bitterness of Radicchio. So it is a win-win.
Here is a Prep Tip for Radicchio
Make sure you soak radicchio in cold water for about 30min – 1 hour before using it in a recipe. Radicchio is another anti-inflammatory food, that you should eat regularly if you are managing any kind of chronic pain.
Why are Chard, Radicchio, Cranberry and Asparagus called Superfoods?
They may or may not be superfoods for you. This is from my personalized Viome recommendations. Viome Gut and Health Intelligence tests provide personalized nutritional recommendations to help address the root cause of inflammation, biological aging, and chronic disease. No affiliations, I am just a customer and believer in their science. Viome recommendations of an entire list of anti-inflammatory ingredients were right on, considering the constant pain I battle with as a result of Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis. – Story for another day! You can Learn more about Viome here
Chard as a Superfood
Chard contains kaempferol which is a flavonoid. Kaempferol is a flavonoid released following microbial metabolism. Kaempferol balances your microbiome, encourages growth beneficial to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species, and inhibits the growth of harmful or pathogenic bacteria. Studies indicate that kaempferol decreases inflammation and benefits many biological systems including the gastrointestinal, hormonal, neurological, ocular and immune systems.
Cilantro and Cranberry as Superfoods
Cilantro and Cranberries contain flavonoids which are a class of polyphenols. Polyphenols are a complex group of many compounds released following microbial metabolism. Polyphenols balance your microbiome, encourage the growth of beneficial Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species and inhibit the growth of harmful or pathogenic bacteria. Research shows that polyphenols decrease inflammation and benefit many biological systems including the gastrointestinal, hormonal, neurological, ocular, and immune systems.
Cranberries and Chard also improve your Intestinal Barrier Health microbiome score.
If you like this recipe, you will also like these.
Health Benefits of Olives: Superfoods Snack #1
Immune Boosting Properties of Black Cumin Seeds. Superfood Spice #2
Chicken Guava Waldorf Salad | Healthy Recipes
What are some Superfoods that you know of? I would love to hear from you and add them to my diet.
Jerry Seinfeld Experiment: Don’t break the chain. Post #72.
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