True Crunchy & Sauteed Chard

The True Crunchy pg. 170
Sauteed Chard pg. 209

The True Crunchy

Today I went to my daughter's middle school.  I walked into a class full of teens.  I have to admit I was a little terrified.  You see I have this reoccurring nightmare from time to time.  It is me having to redo my whole middle school experience.  Except, when I was in middle school it was called Junior High.  Not sure at what point they changed the name? Do you know why they did?  The kids were totally sweet, and I have so much respect for my daughter's teachers.  They are working with a very tough crowd.  Granted they can be so loving, but you also know they could give you a roll of the eyes in the blink of a second. I didn't want to embarrass my daughter.  (The pressure!)  OK, I know this has nothing to do with food, but I just had to share. I consider it therapeutic for me;) So thanks! I was truly shocked how nervous it made me.  I just didn't expect it. 

Later, when I got home I made a couple different dishes from CSK. Not sure why I chose them both for today except that I simply just felt like it! First up was was The True Crunchy.  It is a really light salad.  It doesn't even have any oil in it.  Talk about low calorie.  The kalamata olives give you the illusion of oil being in there.  I couldn't find all the various sprouts the recipe called for, but went ahead and just purchased what Whole Foods had to offer.  I already had Mung Bean Sprouts and added Broccoli Sprouts.  It was really quite good, and I am not a huge lover of sprouts.  I would totally make it again.

Next up is Sauteed Chard.  Chard isn't a veggie that I ever bought until my CSK adventures began.  It is easy to cook almost like spinach.  It is kind of bitter in my opinion.  The Nutritional Yeast is what made the recipe stand out.  It gave it that yummy cheesy taste that makes most things better. A big  bunch of chard cooks way down into a pretty small bowl, so keep that in mind.  I think one bunch works for 4 people if taking small servings.

Sauteed Chard

I really love being exposed to so many new veggies.  It is cool to look in the veggie section of the grocery store, and feel confident that I could make something tasty with most any veggie.  It is a good feeling, and has made me a much more confident cook!  I highly recommend stepping out of your comfort zone and trying a new veggie.  It just might be your fav!