photo credit: uprisingorganics.com

Last night,  I sauntered over to my friend’s place to pick up my half of our Arganica produce box, which we got as part of a LivingSocial deal.  Arganica is not a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), it is a “premier locally sourced food club.”

It was a fun surprise to peer into the box and find out what we got for the week- bananas, oranges, lemons, potatoes, an onion, GIANT carrots, asparagus, and both of our favorites: rainbow chard.

According to the ultimate source (Wikipedia of course), chard is also referred to as Swiss chard,silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, crab beet, seakale beet, and mangold.  It is high in vitamins A, K and C; it is also full of minerals, dietary fiber and protein.

So what should I do with this leafy multi-colored nutritional gem, I wondered? (Haha, okay, I didn’t think those exact words).

Which brings me to my most amazingly delicious frittata to date:

Rainbow  Frittata

Also known as: Four cheese caramelized onion sun-dried tomato red pepper chard frittata with pine nuts

Heat a tbsp(ish) of olive oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-low heat. Throw in 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped shallots; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Throw in a handful of chopped red peppers and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add 2 washed, destemmed, and chopped chard leaves and cook for 1 more minute.

In a small bowl, whisk 5-6 eggs. Add a handful of grated Gruyere cheddar melange cheese, a handful of grated mozzarella, a little feta cheese, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper, a dash of cayenne, a sprinkling of garlic powder, and a touch of dried basil.  Throw in a handful of sun-dried tomatoes. Mix well. Fold in 1 tbsp of flour and about a tsp of baking powder.

Combine all ingredients in frying pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and pine nuts on top. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let me tell you, this was a-mazing. Flavorful, nutritious, hearty, colorful, you name it.

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Note: just in the nick of time, I discovered that chard stems don’t need to be thrown away. You can actually use  them in a number of different recipes. At first bite, it kind of tastes like you bit into a forest, but I have faith that I can make creative use out of them!

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