Soba Noodles with Chard and Raisins

Ok. That's a fine looking picture! Dr. Sanjay Gupta would once again be proud -- so many colors! I opted for Rainbow Chard, which is just gorgeous. Each of the stems is a different color. You can see in the picture how some of the pieces are red and some are yellow, for example. One great thing about this recipe is that it calls for the whole chard piece, not just the leaves. You saute the chopped stems and then steam the leaves until they wilt.

We loved this dinner. Like last night's entree, I haven't made this one in years. My blog is motivating me to make a wider variety of recipes. Thanks to ME for that! :)

Though Tommie wanted to give this one a 5, I'm going to go with a 4. The flavors are fabulous -- raisins, chard, pine nuts, olive oil, green olives, garlic, and red pepper flakes combined with soba noodles. I went with wheat and buckwheat noodles, and they tasted great. My only issue with the dish was that the noodles were extremely starchy, which made a mushy sort of texture. I rinsed them after boiling them as directed, but maybe I need to stir them around the next time when I rinse. Something to work on...

Potatoes and Chard with Green Curry Sauce

Yum. This one's a keeper. It's so fracking cold up here, that I chose all my recipes for the next few nights from the Winter section of the book. Jack says he likes this dish on a cold day, and we discovered that we do too!

Some cooking observations: I didn't use enough green curry out of fear that I would make the dish too spicy. Nope. Definitely not too spicy. Tommie had to add some chili flakes to his plate to get the zip he wanted. So, I'm going with two tablespoons next time at bat.

Also, I just cannot get the timing right on my stove. We've lived here one year this week, and I'm still simmering my dishes way too hot. I think I'm done with trying to use the "simmer" indicator on the knob and just lower the heat to med-low or low. I share this story with you, because I definitely overcooked the potatoes. It might have been a blessing though, because some of the potatoes kinda mushed up, and so it made the dish seem even creamier.

Bottom line, even with me under-spicing and over-cooking this dish, we still loved it! Gonna go with 4.5 stars. Maybe if I get it right I'll be able to award this curry the full 5 stars. Oh one last thing: Jack recommends serving this with rice. I didn't do that. Potatoes and rice seems like way too many carbs and overkill. Do you disagree?

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Dried Cherries, Chard and Walnuts

We make this dish fairly often because it's hearty, tasty and healthy. In fact, it is the perfect carbo loading meal if you are an endurance athlete. Swiss chard (in this case rainbow chard) is extremely hearty, so when you combine it with the complex carb whole wheat pasta, you are fueling your body well. Add some garlic, dried cherries, and toasted walnuts, and now it's just plain tasty.

We give this dish 4 out of 5 stars. It's a wonderful meal, but a 5 star meal has to be one where I'm a little sad when I feel that my stomach is full, and I have to put down the fork. I wasn't sad tonight -- just happily sated.