I started making a different version of this salad over summer and because I loved it I decided to experiment with a more wintery version with juicy beets and crunchy pistachio nuts. This is a warm salad, which means that all veggies are grilled in the oven: the crunchy texture of the swiss chard is the perfect pair to the soft and juicy beets, whose sweet flavour is balanced by the slightly acidic balsamic vinegar sauce.
I haven’t been using swiss chard a lot until I found out about this salad in the Doctor’s kitchen cookbook, and found a really tasty reason to include chard in my diet. Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable (which means a good source of magnesium), a distant relative to beetroots, that remind of beet greens. Their stems have either a white or a yellowish, red colour, given by a phytonutrient called betalaine, which has anti-inflamatory and antioxidant properties. Chard is an excellent source of magnesium, iron, manganese, copper and potassium and a good source of calcium, phosphorus and zinc. They also provide plenty of Vitamin A, C and K. All of these super powers make swiss chard a good ally for both health. Swiss chard also have plenty of flavonoids, such as catehins, epicatechins, rutin and kaempferol and the relatively rare flavonoid of vitexin which has anticancer properties. chard can with blood sugar regulation (mainly due their B vitamins) and also help with cardiovascular health, since their high antioxidant concentration protect blood vessels from oxidative stress and unwanted levels of inflammation. Blood cells themselves may also be protected from oxidative damage by intake of Swiss chard. Chards help regulate an enzyme that is responsible for neurogenerative diseases such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and dementia and they could help in the prevention of these diseases.
Despite their name, swiss chards are found in abundance in the Mediterranean countries. They can be eaten raw in salads or baked in this super tasty recipe..
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- 200 grs swiss chard
- ½ red onion, cut in slices
- 250 grs cooked beets, cut in squares
- A handful of pistachios, without the shell
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbs olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A few pomegranate seeds or dried fig cut in small pieces to garnish
Preparation
- Wash the swiss chards well with plenty of water as the stems tend to be soiled. Cut in big pieces with your hands and drain well
- Place the chards, cut onion and beets in a large baking tray
- Sprinkle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mix well with your hands. Sprinkle with the pistachios and salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 150C for approx. 10-15 mins. Make sure to mix the ingredients halfway in the baking time so that they are evenly baked. The swiss chard should be slightly brown in order to be crunchy but not overtly cooked.
- Garnish with the pomegranate seeds and/or sliced dry figs.