Ottolenghi’s Chickpeas and Swiss Chard with Yogurt

As a part of the collaborative Farm to School Program with the Ferguson-Florissant School District, the team at EarthDance Organic Farm School has started the “What’s Fresh” initiative! What’s Fresh highlights farm fresh organic produce in its season, in hopes of educating families, neighbors, staff, and students on the benefits of growing and eating fresh produce. Each produce item featured can be found right here at EarthDance growing on our organic farm!

What’s Fresh in February? Kale and Swiss Chard are featured this month. Swiss chard is in the beet family and packs a mighty punch when it comes to health. The leaves can be cooked like spinach and the stalks are brightly colored and can be sauteed and included in a meal for added color, crunch and flare! Swiss Chard is high in potassium, iron and antioxidants like beta-carotene. These vitamins and minerals offer great benefits for our eyes, immune system, cells and even our blood. Kale isn’t lacking in the nutrient department either. It’s rich in omega-3, a healthy fat that is great for the heart and lungs and folate, a B vitamin that aids in brain health. These two leafy greens are a great power couple!

Want to know how to prepare these powerhouses? Check out the recipe below!

Ingredients

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped in to ¾-inch/2 cm pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (1 ¼ cups / 180 g)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 7 ounces / 200 g Swiss chard leaves, sliced into ½ inch / 1 cm strips
• One 15.5 ounce/440 g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 5 tablespoons / 75 ml water
• 1 lemon: juice half to get 1 tablespoon and cut the other half into 2 wedges, to serve
• ¼ cup / 70 g Greek-style yogurt
• ¼ cup / 5 g cilantro, roughly chopped (maybe substitute other herbs, such as parsley and mint)

Instructions

1.  Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the carrots with 1 tablespoon of the oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and a grind of pepper. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes — they should still be a little crunchy.

2.  Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan, over medium heat, and add the onion, caraway and cumin. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the chard, cooked carrots, chickpeas, water, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper and mix through. Cook for 5 minutes, until the chard leaves are soft and hardly any juice is left in the pan.

3.  Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, top with a generous spoonful of yogurt, a sprinkle of cilantro (or parsley and mint), a drizzle of oil, and a wedge of lemon and serve.

This winter, you can find our farm fresh, certified organic EarthDance produce at the Ferguson Winter Farmers Market at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at 33 North Clay Ave., from 9 am – Noon on the third Saturday of the month, through April. The upcoming winter market dates are: February 18, March 18, and April 15. In addition to cash and credit card, we accept SNAP/EBT and farmers market senior nutrition vouchers!

Visit https://cookswithoutborders.com/ottolenghis-chickpeas-and-swiss-chard-with-yogurt for this recipe and more!