Swiss Chard Salad

If you are new to reading my blog, first off welcome I am excited to have you interested in healthy eating with fresh, nutritious recipes! My name is Chrissie and I come from a farm family, I am a dietitian and a personal trainer. My family has a farm market, called Duffield's farm, in South Jersey (30 min from Philly..come visit 😃). We have 500 acres that we grow over 35 different varieties of fruits and vegetables, we have hayrides (selected times of the year), birthday parties, school trips, a bakery, a deli, and sell all our fresh produce in our store.

In season on the farm right now:

strawberries

swiss chard

zucchini/summer squash

rhubarb

collard greens

kale

radishes

sweet potatoes

herbs

Since I became a registered dietitian, I wanted to provide nutrition education for the customers at my family's farm. For fun I have a chalk board up front and write a weekly nutrition tip along with a recipe. Many people do not experiment with different produce, so I want to provide a healthy recipe for them to do so. Right now the board is about Swiss Chard. To be honest, I was to afraid to try it. It is beautiful so why not have it keep growing (joking but really I thought that since I was afraid to try it). To me it looks like veins going through our own bodies, which is pretty cool since it is high in VITAMIN K (helps with blood clotting), it is like the swiss chard wanted to remind us to eat more vitamin K (unless you are on certain meds like blood thinners). 

Swiss Chard Nutritional Tips:

• Vit K: blood clotting, bone healthy, improves calcium absorption
• Vit A: improve immune system, anti-inflammatory, improve cell communication, vision health
• Flavonoid vitexin: anti- inflammatory/-cancer/-oxidant
• Phytonutrient betalain pigment from the color of the stalks: anti- inflammatory/-cancer and for cardiovascular disease
• Helps improve neurodegenerative diseases (ex: Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, dementia)
• Eat raw or cooked (Raw salad below)

Swiss chard beet salad with 

homemade lemon apple cider vinaigrette

Serves: 4 side salads

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Swiss chard (Duffield's Farm), chopped
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 large (or 2 small) beets, roasted or boiled, chopped
  

Salad dressing ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp honey

 Directions:

1. Prepare salad, drizzle with salad dressing.
2. Enjoy!