Swiss Chard with Garlic and Oregano

Try this super-easy side dish to get a dose of your leafy greens.

Ingredients:

• 10 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash of black pepper
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1. Rinse the Swiss chard with cold water and drain.  You want a bit of the water to still cling to the chard leaves, as it will help them wilt once in the saucepan.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the minced garlic clove and saute for 1 minute.  Add the chard; cover and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the oregano, salt, and black pepper, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chard is tender and wilted.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the red wine vinegar.  You'll have just enough to serve two.  I added butternut squash and seashell pasta in tomato sauce to finish off this quick weeknight supper.

Nutrition Info:
2 servings (1/2 cup), Calories 51

Tasting Notes:
The chard was quite good, although I was a bit surprised that the red wine vinegar was dominant, almost overwhelming the tastes of garlic and oregano - normally when an ingredient is listed in the title, I expect that it will take center stage.  If I were to make this again, I'd decrease the vinegar to only 1 teaspoon.  That said, the chard was perfectly cooked and a nice way to round out a meal.  Although I used green chard, you could try using rainbow chard to add a pop of color to your plate.

Update: I made this again with red instead of green chard, and for whatever reason thought that it came out better.  The flavors blended more nicely, the vinegar was not overpowering, and the red and green color was a lovely fit for the holiday season!

Rating:
3