Veganmofo: Do you know what mangold is?

I don't expect you to because that is the German name for what we Americans know as Swiss chard. Honestly, I think the German name is so much better. But back on topic... I am constantly thanking my turn to veganism since it has helped me discover so many new foods. Yes, this sounds silly but is entirely true.  One example of this is, in fact, Swiss chard.

My favorite is the rainbow verity. It just looks so pretty and irresistible. I discovered it at the farmers' market a little over a year ago, and I have not ever been able to get enough of it since then.  I have used it in so many dishes.  Examples would be making an Indian-spiced side dish along with chickpeas or as an addition to Veganomicon's chickpea noodle soup. (Why, yes, it does go well with chickpeas in case you were wondering.)  Despite those amazing dishes, 

I had been wanting to branch out...

As usual, the ppk was a great source for ideas. I don't even recall why I clicked on it, but after reading a thread about green smoothies, I knew that I just had to try one with Swiss chard.  I love to eat it cooked, but, just like any green, it shrinks so much as it cooks, and what once looked like a lot of chard turns into not so much.  Plus, I figured that eating it raw was a little bit healthier as well.  After stumbling upon this site, I came up with this recipe.

-1 banana

-6 or so stalks of chard (more/less depending on how green you feel)

-1 kiwi (I just cut off the ends and don't bother with taking the skin off. More fiber never hurt anyone...)

-handful of frozen raspberries

-1 glass water

-1 glass ice

Do not forget to put in the water. I did this the other day, and my roommate's blender was not very happy with me at first.  And to think that I started to wonder why it wasn't blending correctly...

Here I am trying my very first homemade green smoothie. I may not look it, but I was a little nervous about the taste.  Luckyily, I really do love chard, and my taste buds have changed so much since my conversion 16 months ago.  I didn't think that it tasted overly healthy at all. And to think that I was all set to make myself drink it or add some agave if it tasted off.

The only downside to this recipe is that it makes a ton of smoothie. About 2- 2 1/2 glasses worth, well of the size glass that you see me holding there anyway.  Plus, the first time or two that I made it I had to use the loo a bit more frequently than usual.

Since my discovery, I have been trying to have a smoothie about twice a week or so. It really has made me feel quite a bit healthier.  Because it makes so much, sometimes I use the smoothie as an entire meal.  Well, at least as  a lunch.  If I make it as a dinner, I usually need to have a piece of toast with hummus or peanut butter later.

I don't want anyone to get tired of seeing all of this Swiss chard, so I have only one more photo/meal idea.  Even though I love to cook and try new things, I am still a university student, so I do not always have a lot of time for meals. (My parents pay for my food, yes lucky me, but I am a total cheapskate, so I like to try to eat cheaply a lot as well.)

Here you see my dinner from tonight. Homemade bread from the bread machine that I stole from my parents. (Hey, they weren't using it!)  One slice has hummus and the other, which was already in my stomach, had Veganaise.  I just lightly sautéed some yellow summer squash, zucchini, yellow pear tomatoes, and (surprise, surprise) chard.  Oh and don't forget the Thai chile hot sauce. I just bought a bottle two weeks ago, and I absolutely love it. I try to sneak it into so many dishes, it is crazy. But this meal was very filling and satisfying. Sometimes, I just feel like I need a veggie overdose, and this hit the spot.