Zucchini “Noodles” with Chard |

Well, we’ve had an awesome few weeks of fundraising for the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada Spring Sprint. So far our team has brought in over a thousand dollars and we continue to climb towards our goal! We have all the way to May 26th to raise money, so keep the donations coming, knowing that it is going to a great cause! Thank you to everyone who has donated and/or joined our team! I am really looking forward to walking/sprinting with such an amazing group of people. Gen has started volunteering with a new Hospice centre that has opened near our apartment. He heard about these Hospice walks for people who have recently lost a loved one and he really wants us to go. I think that we are going to try to make the Saturday walks, see what it’s about and get some much needed fresh air. I think it will be cathartic to spend time with people in similar situations to mine.

Anyway, I’ve been very busy this week already with job interviews, applications, and resume tweaking. I am only two business days out of my internship at Appetite and I am already wondering how they are doing. I hope I can work with the two of them in the future again, as it was such a wonderful experience. In the last two weeks of my internship we discovered my passion and intensity for cookbook proofreading. Now to find a job, preferably in the publishing industry in Vancouver (HA!), where I can put all my new-found, or newly-honed skills to work. We’ll see. In the meantime, I am going to keep on cooking, baking, and candlestick making, well no, but that would be great. This recipe is a nice, healthy base for awesome pasta sauces, meatballs, and anything else you want to throw on there.

Gen is crazy about zucchini lately. It helps that we are close to a Costco and you can buy bags of the baby zucs for a great price. Zucchini does nothing special for me but I am a sucker for sautéed greens, Swiss chard being my favourite of the bunch. I threw these two veggies together to create a “noodley” base for my meatballs and cheese sauce. The key is to sauté the chard first and just do a brief, wilting sauté session with the zucchini after, this leaves a delicious bite in the “noodles.” A little garlic, a little butter, a little salt and pepper and you are on your way to a filling and delicious meal. Heads up, I used my awesome slicer on the julienne setting to get the long, thin zucchini noodles. If you don’t have a similar tool, you can hand-slice them yourself, just budget some more time. The goal is thin, noodle-sized slices that run the length of the zucchini. This is another recipe that can be easily veganized by omitting the butter and replacing it with an equally delicious oil, coconut oil would be wonderful, as would olive oil. Top the “noodles” with your favourite grain pattie, or sautéed mushrooms for a rich meal.

Zucchini “Noodles” with Chard

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp butter (coconut or olive oils work wonderfully here too)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of Swiss chard, about 6 large leaves, washed and roughly chopped
6-8 small or 2 large zucchinis, julienned (sliced into thin, noodle-sized strips) lengthwise
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, until fragrant and golden.
Add the chard, stir to coat in butter, cover and let cook for 5 minutes over medium-low. Open, stir again and cover for another 5 minutes. The chard should wilt down to half its size.
Move the chard to the edges of the pan, leaving a hole in middle. Add a bit more butter if needed. Add the zucchini “noodles” and stir to coat with butter.
Stir the veggies together and add salt and pepper to taste. Let cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Test for ‘doneness’ of zucchini, to your preference and serve with your favourite protein!