Watch Out Cough, Here Comes Chard

So, Tony was feeling sickly, and went to the store to stock up on cough medicine and Kleenex. He returned with bags of kale and chard. He said, "These just looked like something I should eat -- can you make something with them?"

Can I ever.

Lentil Chard Soup

1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch chard, cleaned and roughly chopped
1/3 cup lemon juice

In a soup pot, combine lentils, water, broth and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat. When it boils, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and simmer for 25 minutes.

In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion 7 minutes. Add garlic and chard. Cook for 3 minutes or until the chard wilts. You may have to add it in small bunches, stirring it with tongs to help it reduce in volume before adding the next bunch. When the chard is all wilted, add to lentils. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.

I think it's pretty cool how, if we pay attention, our bodies often tell us what they need. Chard is an excellent source of vitamin C, which is said to reduce the duration of a cold. Do you have any foods you turn to when you feel under the weather?