Wow this weekends weather was amazing!! If I could describe perfect weather, it is NY fall weather. It has to be my favorite season. A little chilly, but still sunny and beautiful. Ahhhhh. I am so excited for all the fall local farmers markets to open up with harvested organic fruits and vegetables. I can spend a whole day in farmers market just wondering.

With that said, I got into the fall spirit. With fall foliage on its way, I decided to make something tender, colorful, and delish using rainbow swiss chard! Chard is great because it can be sautéed, stir fried, braised, or stuffed. It has an earthy taste to it, similar to spinach. Its leaves turn silky when cooked and the stems are mild and equally delicious.

You can use any variety of swiss chard for this recipe (white, ruby, or rainbow) but I loved the colors of the rainbow chard displayed in our local market and had to make them! When you are picking chard, always make sure to choose chard with firm, bright leaves and crisp stems. Brown or yellow leaves or leaves with holes means the vegetable may be a little old. Use it sooner rather than later because chard can be as perishable as spinach. It will last in the fridge for up to three days. You can wrap them loosely in a paper towel and place in perforated plastic bag and store in the fridge to keep fresh.

Wash your chard thoroughly, like all greens. Wash leaves in a large bowl with cold water and keep changing the water until clean and no grits behind. Drain the chard on paper towel or in a salad spinner.

Rainbow Swiss Chard w/ Pine Nuts & Golden Raisins

---

1 1/2 lb rainbow swiss chard, cleaned

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup sliced spanish onion (or any sweet onion)

3 tablespoons golden raisins

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Salt and pepper

Clean the chard. Separate stems from leaves. Slice stems 1/4th inch thick and chop the leaves coarsely. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in chard stems. Reduce heat and cook covered, until stems begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.

Working in batches, add the chard leaves. Turn and toss the leaves until each batch begins to wilt and turn glossy. Stir in raisins, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until chard is tender, 3-4 minutes. Place in platter, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, and serve.

Enjoy and please share any comments or questions you may have. I would love to see how yours turns out! Make sure to tag me @lizskosherkitchen if you share it on social media so I can see your masterpiece!

**Tips:

Chard stems and its leave are great eaten together (like in this recipe) but they are best cooked separately to prevent the leaves from overcooking. To separate them quickly, trim any brown ends from the stems, fold each leaf in half (lengthwise), cut along the edge of the stem rib to separate stem from leaf. Repeat with remaining leaves.