Chard & Chickpeas with Feta ♥

An unexpected benefit of tracking what vegetables are fresh in Maine is the reminder that certain inexpensive, readily available and super-healthful vegetables are woefully unpopulated in what is approaching 800 vegetable recipes, chard, say. It just goes to show that even someone who's obsessed captivated by vegetables has to pay attention too.

Enter this easy-to-prepare, adaptable and tasty vegetarian supper. The greens (essentially Greek Greens) could even be cooked a day or two in advance, making supper itself a real snap.

NEXT TIME I'll add lemon zest, maybe some roasted pepper, hmm, red maybe or maybe poblano. I might also saute the stems to toss in, maybe more onion and oh, say, some leftover rotisserie chicken. This is also a great way to use up odds and ends of leftover vegetables at the end of the week, whatever's on hand. It's a great 'concept recipe'.

CALORIE NOTES Again and again I'm surprised by how many calories live in those diet-tasting chickpeas. So if you're counting Weight Watchers points, be careful with portion size. It's another good reason to bulk up with more vegetables.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for other Vegetarian Supper recipes.

A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK Garlicky Romano Beans, I remade these a few weeks ago with regular green beans and they were just as gorgeous

CHARD & CHICKPEAS with FETA

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 50 minutes
Serves 4

Large pot of salted water
1 pound Swiss chard [the inspiring recipe called for 3 pounds, since cleaning/chopping the greens takes the bulk of the prep time, this will greatly affect the timing]

29-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained [the inspiring recipe used 19 ounces]
1 tablespoon olive oil [the inspiring recipe used 4 tablespoons, completely unnecessary]
4 green onions, chopped
[1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped] - included in the inspiring recipe
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400F. Bring the water to a boil. Wash the greens well, fold in half and slice out and reserve the stems for another use. Drop the greens into the boiling water, cover and cook for 4 minutes or until soft. Drain, squeeze dry and chop.

In a large bowl, mix the chickpeas, onion, garlic and chopped greens. Transfer to a greased oven-safe dish. Top with feta, pressing into the greens. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until sizzling hot. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 351 Cal (22% from Fat, 19% from Protein, 60% from Carb); 17 g Protein; 9 g Tot Fat; 5 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 54 g Carb; 11 g Fiber; NetCarb 43; 3 g Sugar; 280 mg Calcium; 5 mg Iron; 1175 mg Sodium; 25 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 7 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE Adapted from Food & Wine

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How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with well-organized, quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.