Getting Healthy with Greens and Beans: Bean, Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Chard

As winter is ebbing from another seasonal year and hints of spring are popping up along this wonderful terrain we call earth, the minds of many are wondering how they can get rid of the winter girth they have accumulated. The easiest way is by eating! Yes, you can drop fat by eating but the secret is, what to eat. Try returning to nature. Do not buy any processed foods and if you see a recipe which calls for processed food, just ignore it. Take a little time for your health and happiness and make some delicious food the way it was intended... natural!

With this dish, we have true simplicity. Some Swiss chard, some black beans, a little cheese and as a special treat, some bacon. Not too bad. The bacon is cooked and the fat is rendered. The back beans are organic and canned with a natural preservative (available at all markets). The cheese will give you some calcium and vitamin D. Of course we also have some green onions and garlic because fighting cancer is somewhat important!

All you need to make this very simple dish is a steamer. No fancy equipment. No fancy ingredients. No fancy methods. Simple! Easy! Healthy! For a complete how-to slideshow on making this dish, go to the free Facebook page called ChefLarryEdwards (yes, all one word).

Ingredients needed to make Black Bean, Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Swiss Chard:

• 1 pound Swiss Chard
• 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and chopped
• 2 green onions, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. hot sauce
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Steps:

1. Bring some water to a boil in a large steamer.
2. Place the large chard leaves on a flat surface. Remove the rib running down the middle.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
4. Place some of the filling in the middle of each leaf and fold up like a burrito.
5. Place the stuffed chard into the steamer and steam for about 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the steamer, sprinkle a little more cheese atop and serve.

The new cookbook from Chef Larry Edwards is now available from Amazon.com and bookstores worldwide. One of the most anticipated cookbooks of the year, "Edwardian Cooking: Inspired by Downton Abbey's Elegant Meals."