Does your holiday meal look like a sea of browns and tans? Mashed Potatoes, stuffing, parsnips, gravy, bread, and rolls, can sometimes take over the landscape. Even though you may enjoy these yummy holiday side dishes, don’t forget to include those beautiful dark leafy greens.
Swiss chard, kale, escarole, spinach, and collard greens are all abundant at this time of year. Dark leafy greens either cooked or raw in a beautiful salad bowl, are essential to a well-balanced meal. Delicata squash, sweet and mild in flavor, can be roasted in advance (or while you have other things baking in the oven). Leftovers reheat easily or can be served as a simple room-temperature salad with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon with a few salty olives added to it.
Swiss Chard with roasted delicata squash
Ingredients
- 1 medium Delicata squash scrubbed well
- 1/2 teaspoon natural salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon smoky chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 each onion, peeled, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bunched Swiss chard
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 Tablespoon pumpkin seeds, toasted
Instructions
Delicata squash
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice washed delicata squash lengthwise ,( a serrated knife works well for this). Scoop out seeds with a spoon, discard. Slice delicate squash into 1/2" moon shaped slices. Place sliced squash in a bowl, add coconut oil, salt, cumin and chili powder, toss to coat with spices. Place seasoned squash onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes, turn pieces over and continue to roast for an additional 15-25 minutes until browned and softened. Remove from oven and set aside.
Swiss Chard
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Trim off dried ends of Swiss chard stems. Cut out stems of swiss chard, with a knife. Cut swiss chard into bite sized pieces and place in bowl of water. Wash swiss chard as needed in several changes of water to remove all of the dirt. Drain greens in a colander and lightly shake to remove excess water, set aside.
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Chop onion and garlic. Wash swiss chard stems and cut into small bite sized pieces. Preheat medium sized saute pan, over medium heat. Add coconut oil, onions, garlic and swiss chard stems and saute for 4-6 minutes until they are softened and lightly browned. Stir during cooking and adjust heat as needed to prevent garlic from burning.
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Add greens to saute pan, a handful at a time, using long handled tongs to turn and toss greens. Keep adding in greens until they are all added. If the greens seem a little dry add a few tablespoons of water. Cover pan with a lid and turn heat down to a simmer. Cook greens for an additional 2-6 minutes, until desired consistency is reached- they should be tender but not mushy.
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Remove lid, add in roasted delicate squash and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds if desired and a splash of lemon juice
Recipe Notes
Substitute Swiss chard for your favorite dark leafy greens, or combination of greens. Kale, spinach, dandelion greens or other locally available greens are all delicious.