Some leafy greens

Since I've been a little under the weather lately,

 I really haven't had much of a desire to cook.

Sad, I know.

But today, my "frozen dinners only" strike came to a pause 

and I decided to whip up a feast.

As I perused the grocery isles, trying to decide which green veggie to pair with my homemade mac 'n cheese, nothing seemed to sound quite right...

Peas? Too predictable.

Broccoli? Too boring.

Celery? Wrong dish!

Then it hit me... SWISS CHARD!

I've never actually cooked with swiss chard before, so I figured I'd grab a bunch, along with some spinach 
and find something to do with it once I got home.

To find a recipe, I googled "swiss chard", and this little gem appeared. 

The post was entitled "Exciting Swiss Chard."

Immediately I was hooked!

What could be exciting about a leafy green vegetable?

Oh. So many things!

Let me show you... grab your cookin' utensils and come along.

First gather your ingredients:

A bunch of chard

A bunch of spinach

(This is probably common knowledge, but by "bunch" I don't mean "a whole lot." These veggies are actually purchased "by the bunch")

1/2 Onion

EVOO

A handful of raisins

Pine nuts

(or walnuts, or slivered almonds...the possibilities are endless, really...)

Salt and pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Okay. Now, start off by putting some EVOO

(about a Tablespoon...you can always add more later)

in a large skillet, on med low

Chop up your onion

(I only used a half an onion and thought it was plenty,

 but add the amount to your liking)

and throw that in the pan.

Cook until semi-translucent, stirring occasionally.

While the onion is cooking, wash and prepare your greens.

Fold the chard in half and cut along the stem to remove it, 
but don't discard it...

when cooked until tender, the stem is the best part!

Roughly chop the stems as well as the leafy part of the veggie.

Also, cut off (and discard) the stems on the spinach leaves.

Once the onion is semi-translucent, add some raisins.

And try not to be skeptical about this step.

The raisins add a subtle sweetness to the dish

and they taste simply delicious at the end!
(Even the husband agrees!)

Now, add in your chard stems,

sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook about 7-10 min.

At this point, you'll want to start toasting your nut of choice.

Put a small skillet on med low and let the nuts toast until you're ready to add them to the dish. Make sure to stir them occasionally to avoid browning too much on one side.

Once your stems are tender, add in your greens.

It is obviously going to be very full at first, but don't you worry...
those leaves will wilt and cook down a whole lot!

Once the greens are wilty, add the toasted nuts and a splash

(or two...mmm...)

of balsamic vinegar.

And voila!

You just made a 5 star dish to please all of your friends.

Now pair with your homemade mac 'n cheese

and you've got yourself a meal.

YUM!