Chard recipes
Also known as Swiss chard, leaf beet, spinach beet and seakale beet, this leafy green vegetable is related to the sugar beet, and has large, tough leaves that taste a little like spinach, but slightly sweeter. Younger leaves can be eaten raw in salads; the fleshy stalks are usually cooked separately, as they take longer to soften. Chard is packed full of vitamins and minerals, and should be briefly boiled or sautéed to retain as many of these as possible.
Filling your plate with vegetables is a nutritious way to feel full without piling on the calories. Here they are drizzled with an easy dressing of tahini and Greek-style yoghurt. If you're not on a diet, try a drizzle of pomegranate molasses in place of the lemon juice. This is a slightly over 500 calories, so could be paired with lower calorie breakfast and dinner so your daily calories don't exceed 1200–1500.
Each serving provides 545 kcal, 22g protein, 62.5g carbohydrates (of which 7.5g sugars), 19g fat (of which 3.5g saturates), 16.5g fibre and 0.2g salt.
More chard recipes
Buyer's guide
Chard is available all year. Look for fresh green leaves and firm stalks with no signs of wilting or discolouration.
Storage
Keep in a paper bag in the fridge for 2-3 days, or blanch and freeze.
