I’ve mentioned numerous times that my grocery store leaves something to be desired. I cannot get most things I want to cook with even if they are seasonal. A few days ago I drove 2hrs to get some supplies for house renovations as well as groceries. This occasional commute has become a norm for me as of late. It doesn’t really bother me, it is just a way of life now. I ended up buying some chard to cook with as I cannot get any fancy greens in my grocery store. I didn’t know what I would use it for at the time, but I knew I needed it.

On Sunday I spent about 4hrs in the kitchen which is a nice way for me to relax. With all of the ice fishing I have been doing I have not been in the kitchen as often as I would like. It’s hard to juggle hobbies. Anyhow, I knew I needed to use the chard, make French Onion soup as I had way too many onions (thus requiring me to make bread), make lunch & dinner, & bake something (I was leaning towards cookies). It sounds more ambitious than it really was. In the morning I prepped bread for baguettes and planned out my day…

1. Bake bread
2. Make lunch
3. Make soup (to be eaten with dinner & give leftovers for the next day’s lunch)
4. Bake cookies
5. Make dinner

I decided to divvy up the chard into 2 portions – one to be used with lunch & one to be used with dinner (each can serve 2).

I ended up making Asian Garlic Shrimp & Chard over rice for lunch. Fast, delicious, & healthy.

I then proceeded to make French Onion soup. While that was cooking I made cookies which quickly began to disappear.

After all of this was completed, I started on dinner. I made lemon-parmesan chard & served it with roasted chicken thighs and some French Onion soup.

Asian Garlic Shrimp & Chard  (Serves 2)

• olive oil or cooking spray
• 1/2 bunch red chard, roughly chopped & stems removed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2-3 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 12-14 uncooked shrimp, deveined & peeled
• 1 1/2 cup cooked white rice

1. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, & sesame oil together. Set aside.
2. Coat a non-stick skillet with olive oil or cooking spray & heat over medium heat.
3. Sauté onion for 5-10minutes until softened.
4. Add garlic & sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Add swiss chard & 1/4 cup water. Sauté until chard is wilted & water has evaporated.
6. Add shrimp & sauce. Cook for 2minutes per side or until shrimp is cooked through. Serve over cooked white rice with additional soy sauce & hot chili sauce if desired.

Lemon-Parmesan Chard

• olive oil
• 1/2 bunch red chard, roughly chopped (chop a few of the stems as well)
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
•  2-3 tsp lemon juice, or more to taste
• parmesan cheese

1.  Coat a non-stick skillet with olive oil & heat over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion for 10-20 minutes until softened & caramelized to your liking.
3. Add the stems of the chard & cook for 3-5minutes until softened.
4. Add the chard & sauté until wilted. Spritz (or saturate) with lemon juice to your liking.
5. Top with parmesan cheese & serve with whatever you desire. I served it with roasted chicken.