Healthy And Colorful Swiss Chard Salad Recipe - Lavender & Macarons (2024)

What can you make with Swiss chard? A lot more than just soups and stir fries. Here is an easy, healthy, and colorful Swiss chard salad with apple and chickpeas recipe to try out. Ingredients are readily available and simple to find. This fresh salad is perfect for summer dinner, picnic or potluck. Also try my favorite Sautéed Chard Salad.

Swiss chard is an incredibly nutritious vegetable. It tastes great in a salad and has an appealing color.

I myself discovered chard only recently but I quickly fell in love with this leafy vegetable and planted it in my garden this year.

Here's Why This Recipe Works

• Swiss Chard is a wonderful source of Fiber. Because of this, it will keep you full longer. In addition, Chard contains 3 times the recommended daily intake of Vitamin K, good source of Vitamin A and C.
• this fresh Swiss Chard And Apple Salad Recipe can be served as a side dish or thanks to protein-packed chickpeas, this salad is great as I stand-alone meal. It is also a good choice for a meal prep.
• this vegan salad is very easy to make with common ingredients.

Ingredients

Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.

Ingredient Notes

• Chard. There are a few types of Swiss Chard available in the grocery stores or on the farmers’ markets: Red Chard and Rainbow Chard. It doesn't matter which one you choose. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that the leaves are firm and vibrant. Avoid the leaves that look slimy or wilted.
• Apple. For this Rainbow chard salad I recommend choosing an apple that is firm, tastes moderately sweet or slightly sour. My favorites are Gala, Fuji, Daisy or Granny Smith.
• Raisins. Both Thompsons or golden raisins will work well in this vegan Swiss Chard And Apple Salad. If you don't have raisins, they can be substituted with dried cranberries.

1. Roast the chickpeas for the Rainbow Chard Salad. Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with the parchment paper. Spread the chickpeas on a baking sheet and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle the chickpeas with the 2 tablespoon of olive oil, onion and garlic powder, paprika, ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes stirring the chickpeas halfway. Remove chickpeas from the oven and set aside.

2. Chop the chard for the Chard apple salad. Rinse the Chard leaves and pat them dry with the paper towel. Place a bunch of chard on a cutting board and holding firmly chop it into ¾ inch wide ribbons. Trim off ½ inch of the stalk's end, discard it and thinly chop the stems too. You need to chop the stems thinner than the leaves. Add chopped Swiss chard to a mixing bowl.

3. Chop the apples. Quarter the apple and remove the core. Cut the quarters into ¼ inch thick slices and place them in a bowl. Toss the apples with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside.

4. Prepare the olive oil-lemon dressing. In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

5. Combine the ingredients for the Rainbow Chard Salad. To a bowl with the chopped Swiss Chard, add apple slices, raisins, capers and crunchy roasted chickpeas. Drizzle with the olive oil-lemon vinaigrette and gently mix. Adjust the seasoning one more time and serve.

👩🏻‍🍳 Chef's Tip

Chickpeas. Make sure not to overbake the chickpeas. They should be crisp but still have some softness to them. I roast mine for about 30 minutes but depending on your oven you might need an additional 5 minutes.

Swiss Chard. When chopping chard leaves for the Chard salad, the stems should be chopped to about ⅛-1/4 inch thickness. Otherwise thicker pieces of chard stems might be a little stringy and chewy to a bite.

📖Recipe Variations

This Swiss Chard Salad is delicious as is. However, there are certain ingredients that can make it even heartier. Here are my suggestions:

• olives. They make a wonderful addition to any salad. Choose pitted Kalamata olives or Castelvetrano olives;
• bulgur. A staple grain in Tabbouli salad can also be mixed in this Swiss Chard salad. Bulgur is very nutritious and high in good carbs which will make this salad perfect as a stand-alone meal;
• nuts. For a healthy crunch, add a handful of Pecans, Almonds or Walnuts; Seeds like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds can be added too.
• vegetables. Sliced cucumbers and radishes also pair wonderfully with the chard and apples. Avocado can also be added.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

🍲 Storing

This vegan Swiss Chard Salad With Apples will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Store it in an airtight container with a lid. These containers are my favorite.

For a quick overview of the recipe, please check out my Healthy Vegan Swiss Chard Salad With Apples web-story.

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