Garlicky Swiss Chard & Chickpea Stir Fry
This simple dish was the recipe of the week for our CSA members. We harvested swiss chard for the first time this season and the plants are looking beautiful and healthy. We plant chard 5 times throughout the farm season and each planting consists of about 700 chard plants. We love this leafy green and it’s always a highlight when we get to include this beautiful vegetable into our CSA boxes.
This seasonal salad is hearty enough to be served as a main course for two people but works well as a side dish for a small crowd. The flavors are fresh, satisfying and the addition of nuts, raisins and fresh herbs take this simple salad to a whole new level. Grab a large bunch of swiss chard, pick up a bottle of you favorite wine and head straight for your kitchen!
Cheers from Tumbleweed!
Garlicky Swiss Chard & Chickpea Stir Fry
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 2-4
- 1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil (or oil of choice)
- 4 garlic scapes, finely chopped (or sub with 4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large bunch of swiss chard, ribs and stems chopped into 1/4 inch pieces and leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (if from the can rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 cup raisins (soaked in warm water for 5 minutes to soften)
- salt + pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice + more to taste
- 2-3 Tablespoons minced dill
- goat milk feta cheese for topping (optional)
Preparation
- In a large skillet over medium high heat lightly toast the chopped almonds; about 3 minutes. Shake the pan multiple times throughout toasting. Remove the almonds from the pan and place in a bowl.
- In the same skillet add the 2 1/2 Tablespoons of oil and heat over medium. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden. About 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, chard stems and chickpeas. Continue to cook, stirring often until the chard stems soften and the chickpeas brown up a bit. About 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in chard leaves and cook, tossing occasionally, until the leaves are wilted, about 4 minutes.
- Turn of the heat and add the raisins, toasted almonds, a healthy pinch of salt + pepper and 1 heaping Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Divide among plates and top each portion with fresh dill and a sprinkle of feta cheese.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Always taste test as you go *Have fun in the kitchen
I love Swiss chard too….kind of hard not to, living in Switzerland. 😉 Kale may not be available year-round here but I’m always able to find chard. And this stir-fry looks so delicious and so simple for a weeknight. Love the combo of raisins and dill.
this looks delicious – i’m going to try it this weekend!
Andrea – I am always so blown away at how you continually create healthy and delicious recipes with the seasonal produce you cultivate at Tumbleweed Farm. Your blog is such a huge inspiration to me! 🙂
We made this meal with the beautiful chard and garlic scapes that were in our CSA box this week. Totally delicious and even better the second day as a luncheon salad. We LOVE our farmers!
Kathleen! So happy you loved this dish as much as we did. Let us know if you end up making the sauce with the nutritional yeast! No pressure either way!!! xo
I loved reading your last comments about using the recipe as a guideline after doing exactly that! This recipe is quick, delicious, and entirely customizable: I added a purple onion, used pepitas instead of almonds, a great raspberry parm I got at a market instead of goat cheese, no dill or raisins due to a lack of each, and added turmeric and more lemon 🙂 yum!
woohoo!! sounds delicous. thanks for the comment and happy cooking!
This recipe was wonderful! I bought rainbow chard at my local farmers market and had no idea what to do with it… found your recipe and now have a delicious lunch for the next few days!! I loved the addition of dried fruit (I used cherries) and a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor. Thank you!
so happy you loved it too!
This recipe has become a staple in our house! We seriosuly have been making it at least once a week for months now. It comes together so quickly and gIves our endlessly growing chard a home. We’ve always made it with cloves of garlic, but I plan to grow my own next season so we can finally try it with the garlic scapes.
I made this tonight with the abundance of silverbeet/chard. Standout deliciousness! My better-half thought it was amazeballs and said ‘can we have that on the weekly agenda’. I’d say that’s a thumbs-up and definite winner. I love your book and your blog. Your recipes are always a standout. Thank you!
Can I freeze this recipe ( without the feta cheese!)
I haven’t tried freezing this so I’m not sure. I think the texture of the chard and chickpeas may be a bit off.
This remains one of my all time favorite recipes! Just cooked it tonight and it’s as good as ever.
This was delightful. I took out the raisins and almonds (out of both), threw in some onions on the first sauté and served with rice. Perfect lunch. I love that it can easily be vegan.