1/2 bunch Swiss chard, rinsed clean, well dried and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Heat oil in small skillet. Add onion and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
Place in slow cooker. Add rice and toss well to coat. Stir in chicken broth, wine, salt and Swiss chard. Cover and cook on high 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until all liquid is absorbed. Stir in cheese and serve.
Per serving, based on 6: 209 calories (16 percent from fat), 4 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 3 milligrams cholesterol, 33 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams protein, 413 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
Per serving, based on 6, with Parmesan cheese: 219 calories (18 percent from fat), 4 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 5 milligrams cholesterol, 34 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams protein, 454 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
Recipe developed for The Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.
Helpful hints
Shopping tips: Look for chard leaves with few bug holes and no yellow spots; avoid limp stalks.
Arborio rice is an Italian-grown, high-starch, short-grain rice that is traditionally used in making risotto because it easily absorbs liquid to give it a creamy texture.
Look for arborio in the rice or ethnic foods aisle.
Storage: Store Swiss chard in a plastic bag in the refrigerator up to three days.
Jill Wendholt Silva
The Kansas City Star
Spinach isn’t the only healthy green.
A worthy substitute: Swiss chard.
“If vegetables got grades for traditional nutrients alone, Swiss chard would be the vegetable valedictorian, “ reports whfoods.com, a nonprofit organization that provides scientific information on foods that promote health.
One cup of Swiss chard is loaded with vitamin K to promote bone health. It’s also an excellent source of vitamins A, C and E; iron; calcium; potassium; magnesium; manganese; and dietary fiber.
Wondering how to slip the family some chard?
Chop the leaves of chard, a member of the spinach family, and add them to the usual suspects, including pasta, omelets or lasagna. The tender greens can be prepared like spinach, while the crisp stalks should be chopped, steamed and cooked like asparagus.
Or try The Star’s recipe for Slow Cooker Risotto With Swiss Chard. It uses a time-saving appliance to make a labor-intensive Italian rice dish with chard, a green available in most supermarkets year round but at its peak in summer.
If you’ve made risotto from scratch, it is easy to understand why restaurants charge big bucks for a dish made from inexpensive ingredients. The constant stirring required for the grains of rice to absorb liquid is truly labor-intensive.
To get around the labor, dust off your slow cooker and let it cook the rice and greens together into a creamy, one-pot meal.
On Easter morning, I was a little nervous. Our church does not offer kid programs on major holidays. This gives all the adults who otherwise would be teaching and crafting, and I’m sure a healthy amount of disciplining, a morning off. I used to stew the day before these holiday services, wondering if my kid would be the one to squawk, wondering if we’d have to disturb a whole row for a potty break, worrying that their boredom would turn to naughtiness.
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