I absolutely love a bit of color in my food. For some reason, I feel like it heightens the other senses and makes everything smell and taste that much better. Rainbow chard is one of the most beautiful and colorful vegetables there is (hence the name!). It dulls a little when cooked, but it still retains most of its bright pink and yellow tones. And it doesn’t hurt that it tastes good, and is really good for you, too!

I cooked the rainbow chard with other colorful vegetables: deep red canned beets, pretty purple red onion, and bright green asparagus. And don’t forget the bright yellow polenta, which served as the base for my dish in this case. Balsamic vinegar brought out all of the different flavors and added its signature tart sweetness. Delicious!

This is a quick and uber-nutritious dinner that has lots of flavor and satisfies all the senses!

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch rainbow swiss chard, washed
4-5 stalks asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 red onion, diced
1 can sliced beets, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt
4 servings cooked polenta, optional for serving

Instructions
To prepare chard once washed, remove stems from leaves. Chop stems into 1 inch pieces, and roughly chop leaves. Keep leaves separate from the stems.

In a deep skillet with a tight fitting lid, add olive oil and place over medium heat. Add chard stems, red onion, and asparagus and saute for a few minutes until softened. Add chard leaves, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt, and cover for a few minutes. Once the leaves have wilted to half the size, turn off heat and fold and stir everything together for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over polenta or another grain if desired.

Serves 4