Why hello there! I know it has been far far too long, but life has unfortunately gotten the best of me these last few weeks. Even so, I miss blogging (A LOT) and was determined to get a post out today. These pictures are practically burning a hole in my camera and they needed to be shared!

 

This recipe came about because I was burnt out on spinach. I have been buying large containers of spinach for the past several weeks (months?) and I use spinach in everything. From salads, to smoothies, to sandwiches, to omelets. Spinach is my leafy green of choice.

But enough is enough! I needed something different. Something to change it up. Enter: Swiss Chard.

Frankly, leafy greens other than spinach and kale kind of scare me. I never know what to do with them and whenever I try to cook them I usually don’t like the result. So I kept these guys raw and just used them as a wrap. Simple enough, right?

On the inside, I sautéed some chicken sausage, shredded carrots, added raisins and created a peanut sauce made with peanut butter. So simple and SO satisfying. This meal is pretty low calorie considering it’s just vegetables, chicken sausage and a healthy sauce. Yet, it is very satisfying because of all of the healthy fats from the peanut butter and the sweetness from the carrots and raisins. A complete meal if you ask me.

And then, we have the health boost from the Swiss Chard. Let’s talk about that for a second. I usually don’t dive deep into the nutrients of a food I’m eating. I know that, generally, leafy greens are packed with nutrients. But this time, I decided to do a little research.

Benefits of Swiss Chard:

• Extremely low in calories
• 13 antioxidants
• Regulates blood sugar
• One phytonutrient in particular called Betalain is a strong antioxidant and helps with detoxification
• Extremely high in Vitamins K, A and C. Vitamin K helps with strong bones and a sharp brain!
• Known as a super food to prevent cancer, especially colon cancer
• High in iron which helps with the health of the circulatory system (your blood)
• Promotes hair and eye health. Eating a lot of Swiss Chard can possible prevent or delay the onset of age-related eye diseases.

Ok I am convinced!

I know cooking scary leafy greens can be intimidating, but if you are a first timer with Swiss Chard, I’d encourage you to try this recipe. It just tastes like lettuce, I promise.

Enjoy!

Swiss Chard and Chicken Sausage Roll Ups with Peanut Sauce

• A few large leafs of Swiss Chard. I used Red Swiss Chard, but you can use any type
• 1 or 2 chicken sausages, chopped
• 2 large carrots
• handful of raisins
• A couple tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 T soy sauce

1. For the Peanut Sauce: in a pan, simply add peanut butter and then add warm water. Stir continuously to combine. Keep adding warm water until you achieve the consistency you want. Add in Soy Sauce and mix in.

2. For the Filling: Sautee chicken sausages and add shredded carrots and raisins.

3. Combine filling and peanut sauce.

4. For the Chard: simply wash the leaves

5. Assemble by adding a couple of scoops of the filling onto a Swiss Chard leaf. Roll it up like a burrito and eat!