Red Chard Chips Recipe

 Ponderings  2 Responses »
Jun 092012
 

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might have seen my recipe a while back for baked swiss chard chips.

When I was buying the Swiss Chard for that cooking experiment, I discovered that my local grocery store also had red chard, which was similar, but had red branches in it as opposed to white ones. This intrigued me, but I never bought the red chard that day.

However, this morning I made my way to the farmers market in my local area and found a bundle of red chard for three dollars, so I decided to give it a try.

I was in my family’s kitchen, so I also got the opportunity to play around with some options such as a different baking tray and using wax paper (which I rarely have at home since I never use it).

Here’s the setup:

Red Chard Chips

Similar to my baked swiss chard chips

I tore the leaves from their central red stems, spread them on a wax paper covered baking tray, and lightly sprayed them with oil. Today I also used a selection of spices, such as garlic, instead of my normal light salt.

I preheated the oven to 325 degrees, and set the timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, I took the tray out and flipped the leaves. If you forget to flip the leaves, you’ll be peeling your final product off the wax paper.

After flipping, I put the chips in for another 5 minutes, and then watch them and take them out when they are nice and crispy.

The final result is:

The final product of my red chard chips experiment

The spice added a definite zing to the chips that a light salt seasoning would have lacked. They were very similar in taste to the swiss chard chips, but distinct enough that a mixed bowl of both kinds would be delicious!

Health benefits of Nature – Happiness Experiment 25

 Experiments  3 Responses »
May 292012
 

Nature is messy, complicated, and downright amazing. We plow it under for food, pave it over for roads, and clearcut it for resources. In most urban areas, it survives in the form of a few small parks and paths.

However, when we isolate ourselves from nature, are we isolating ourselves from an incredibly simple and powerful tool to make ourselves better and our lives easier?

Those are some pretty substantial health benefits of nature, but can I notice the change in a week?

Health Benefits of Nature Experiment

Well, the scientific studies point to some REALLY impressive benefits of getting in touch with nature, but can I see the difference in a week or less?

I’ll be monitoring on all of the stated benefits of getting in touch with nature to see if I can “move the needle”.

Day 1 saw no real movements, but I confess I’ve been suffering from a killer headache tonight, so now that it’s passing, we’ll see what tomorrow bring!

P.S. If you haven’t seen it already, check out my swiss chard chips recipe, it’s delicious!

Baked Swiss Chard Chips Recipe

 Ponderings  10 Responses »
May 252012
 




After the success of my baked kale chips recipe, I got to thinking – what else could I make into chips?

As I’ve mentioned before, my first attempt at spinach chips was a disaster, but I have yet to give up on that one. Before I go back to it though, I decided to take a stab at a swiss chard recipe first.

Baked Swiss Chard Recipe

According to Wikipedia:

Chard is, in fact, considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables available and a valuable addition to a healthy diet (not unlike other green leafy vegetables).

It was also a favourite of my Grandmother’s, and while I might occasionally dispute Wikipedia, I have never disputed my Grandmother, so I had to give this a try.

For the sake of simplicity, I tried the same recipe I used for the baked kale. After all, the leaves are similar in thickness.

My first try… was a dismal failure. The leaves stuck the same way they did for the spinach.

However, then I got an idea. I flipped the leaves of swiss chard after 7 minutes. They were still flexible at that point, and hadn’t completely dried onto the baking tray, so if I flipped them then, they “unstuck” from the try and were fine at the end.

As with the baked kale recipe, this is a recipe that will differ from oven to oven, so they key is to keep a close eye on your first batch and learn from it.

1. Start by tearing the swiss chard leaves from the thicker stalks and making them into smaller pieces.

2. Place all of the pieces in a baking tray (I use pyrex myself)

3. Lightly spray the pieces with oil and sprinkle with salt or another flavor.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put in the baking tray.

5. Set the timer for 10 minutes, but check the chard frequently.

6. At the 7 minute mark (or about 2/3 of the way in) carefully flip the chard with a spatula. I don’t have a large oven, so I had to remove the tray to do this. Be carful, as everything is VERY hot.

7. Monitor the chard and remove it from the oven again when everything is crispy. The cooking time varies from oven to oven, but once you know yours, it’s consistent!

The end result is:

It has a very different taste than the baked kale chips, but it’s still delicious so it’s totally worth trying!

If you like this recipe, check out my recipe of baked spinach chips.