Thanks to Biz for asking me to Host the Blogger Secret Ingredient (BSI) this week and thanks to Helen for for hosting last week! Check out her site for last week’s winner and secret ingredient!
I have seen BSI posts, mostly on Biggest Diabetic Loser but I haven’t followed them that closely. Upon being asked to host I went back and looked at tons of them and man have I been missing out! Totally have a new blog obsession (uh oh) I am looking forward to going back and checking out the rest of the posts I have missed, what’s awesome is that they are all listed below so you can too! 
I’m also looking for someone to host next week, please email me or comment if you are interested.
So what, you ask, is this Blogger Secret Ingredient thing all about?
- The host picks an ingredient, preferably one that is in season, readily available and not too expensive. (aren’t you just dying to know what it is?)
- The host links back to all the other previous weekly hosts. (see below)
- Participants create a unique recipe using the BSI and e-mail (or you can comment with link) the host their recipes.
- You do not need to have a food blog to participate, and you do not have to submit a photograph (though, let’s face it a picture is worth a thousand words).
- If you don’t have a blog, you can e-mail the host (alison@waistingduxie.com) directly and it will be posted on my blog.
- The host reviews recipes Sunday evening of each week and picks a favorite. (Sunday May 30th by 5pm Pacific time pretty please)
- The winner is posted Monday morning and receives a prize of the host’s choice. (I have a sea salt sampler pack (Includes Brittany Gray, Pacific Sea, Hawaiian Coral and Alder Smoked sea salt) for the lucky winner)
What is this week’s Blogger Secret Ingredient, you ask? Well my garden overflows with it at the moment and I’m dying to find lots of good recipes for it, so with out further ado
CHARD!!!
I love Swiss Chard but anything done the same way all the time can get boring so please flood me with your ideas.
Chard goes by many names—Swiss chard, leaf beet, seakettle beet, and spinach beet to name a few. It is a beautiful large-leaf vegetable with wide flat stems resembling celery. The ruby variety is especially charming with its’ vivid red stem with broad dark green leaves. If you like spinach, you will adore chard. The flavor is mild yet earthy and sweet with slightly bitter undertones.
The word “Swiss” was used to distinguish chard from French charde or chardon by nineteenth century seed catalogues publishers and the name stuck. Chard is very popular among Mediterranean cooks but the first varieties have been traced back to Sicily. In the US the leaves are valued while European cooks value the stalks to the point of discarding the leaves or feeding them to animals. (such a shame)
Chard can be harvested while the leaves are young and tender or after maturity when larger have slightly tougher stems. Chard is extremely perishable, so keep refrigerator storage time to a minimum. Store unwashed leaves in plastic bags in the crisper for 2 to 3 days. The stalks can be stored longer if separated from the leaves.
If you need inspiration check out BSI from past weeks:
Week 80: Helen – Capers
Week 79: Jenn Cuisine - Honey
Week 78: Living Free - Cashews
Week 77: Affairs of Living – Artichokes
Week 76: One Frugal Foodie - Sunflower Seeds
Week 75: Part of the Whole - Beets
Week 74: Dinner at Christina’s - Sour Cream
Week 73: The Chef in My Head - Goat Cheese
Week 72: 5 Star Foodie - Asparagus
Week 71: Eats Well With Others – Carrots
Week 70: Burp and Slurp - Brussel Sprouts
Week 69: Fun Fearless Foodie – Parmesan Cheese
Week: 68: Natalie’s Killer Cuisine - Cocoa Powder
Week 67: Eat, Live, Travel, Write - Lemon Zest
Week 66: Travel Eat Love - Coconut Milk
Week 65: Run Beans Run - Tofu
Week 64: Chicago Marathon Val - Mushrooms
Week 63: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Cheddar Cheese
Week 62: A Fit and Spicy Life – Balsamic Vinegar
Week 61: Peanut Butter Fingers - Nutmeg
Week 60: Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now - Garlic
Week 59: Home Cooked Em – Cinnamon
Week 58: The Balanced Broad – Flax
Week 57: Cookin Fanatic - Blue Cheese
Week 56: Foodie in the City - Ricotta Cheese
Week 55: Savvy Eats - Maple Syrup
Weel 54: Sound Eats - Dried Fruit
Week 53: Mega Nerd Runs - Acorn Squash
Week 52: Healthy Tipping Point - Pancake Mix
Week 51: Live, Laugh Eat - Almond Butter
Week 50: Balance, Joy and Delicias! – Cauliflower
Week 49: Healthy San Diego Living - Chickpeas
Week 48: Thought 4 Food - Yogurt
Week 47: London Foodie in New York - Chocolate
Week 46: Johnstone’s Vin Blanc - Oats
Week 45: Guilty Kitchen - Figs
Week 44: Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet - Peanut Butter
Week 43: The Sophisticated Gourmet - Brown Sugar
Week 42: My Kitchen Addiction – Lime
Week 41: Nutmeg Nanny – Coffee
Week 40: Chaya’s Comfy Cook – Broccoli
Week 39: Healthy Delicious – Plums
Week 38: Zoe - Feta
Week 37: ChezWhat- Potatoes
Week 36: Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice – Blueberries
Week 35: Girlichef -Greens
Week 34: The Ungourmet – Watermelon
Week 33: Bread + Butter – Bell Pepper
Week 32: Burp and Slurp -Corn
Week 31: Say Yes to Salad – Kabocha
Week 31 1/2: Simply Fabulous Now – Cherries
Week 30: Thinspired – Bananas
Week 29: To Be The Whole Package – Almonds
Week 28: Kristas Kravings – Lemon
Week 27: From French Fries To Flax Seeds – Coconut
Week 26: Plentiful Plants – Avocado
Week 25: Training Fuel – Eggs
Week 24: Dinner at Christina’s – Cabbage
Week 23: Hey What’s for Dinner, Mom? – Strawberries
Week 22: One Bite at a Time – Basil
Week 21: Just Sweet Enough – Black Beans
Week 20: What I Ate Yesterday – Kale
Week 19: What’s for Dinner – Orange
Week 18: BranAppetit! –Spinach
Week 17: Tales of Expansion Dates
Week 16: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Zucchini
Week 15: Sweet & Natural –Peppermint
Week 14: bella eats [and runs] – Ginger
Week 13: Coffee Talk – Walnuts
Week 12: For the Love of Oats – Pumpkin
Week 11: Trying to Heal – Sweet Potatoes
Week 10: The Inner Workings of a College Graduate – Eggplant
Week 9: Itzy’s Kitchen – Pears
Week 8: The Fitnessista – Cranberries
Week 7: Tri to Cook – Lentils
Week 6: Rhodey Girl Tests – Polenta
Week 5: Eating Bender – Butternut Squash
Week 4: Care to Eat – Apples
Week 3: On a Lobster Placemat – Mushrooms
Week 2: Hangry Pants – Tomatoes
Week 1: sportsnutritionliving – Quinoa
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh! I need to get myself some chard.
Thanks for hosting. My top top is to start writing the round up as the entries come in then there is not a mad rush on Sunday evening to get it written!
.-= Helen (Fuss Free Flavours) ´s last blog ..Roast Carrot Dip =-.
I don’t think it’s in season here (UK) yet, so I don’t expect to get it in my veg box until next month. Oh well!
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Plenty, take three: Fried leeks =-.
Really? I’m in Washington state and it is in season here, our average night time temperatures have been in the low 40s (its about the only thing I can harvest at the moment
)
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