Seasonal recipes: 5 for chives

One of the first herbs to come back to life in spring, chives add flavor and nutrition to a variety of dishes.

Tue, Mar 22 2011 at 11:26 AM

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Organic Cooking, Recipes, Vegetarianism & Veganism

It’s too early to plant anything in my vegetable garden, but some of my annual herbs are starting to come back all on their own. In fact, my chives have grown enough that I was able to snip some to put in my scrambled eggs today. They are only about four inches high, but I just couldn’t wait. Wow, do they have a fabulous, strong flavor right now.

If you have chives already asking to be snipped in your garden, I’ve got five recipes that rely on heavily on chives for their flavor. If you’ve never planted chives, I highly suggest you add them to your kitchen garden. They are easy to grow, come back year after year, and add so much flavor and nutrition to foods.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce – Reduced-fat sour cream creates the cream in this sauce with plenty of fresh chives and also shallots, white wine and chicken broth. Best thing – it takes only about 35 minutes to make the entire dish.
Thin-Sliced Beans with Citrus Zest and Chives – Try this different way to prepare string beans by sautéing them in olive oil and citrus with a few tablespoons of fresh chives for a kick.
Cheddar-Chive Scones – A not-too-sweet breakfast or brunch treat, these scones are made with plenty of fresh chives and extra-sharp cheddar.
Risotto with Chives and Truffle Oil – Two whole bunches of chives go into this risotto that’s also flavored with onion and Parmesan cheese (and an actual truffle if you can get your hands on one).
Ricotta and Chive Gnocchi – Chives and potatoes are great together, and in this recipe they complement each other with some ricotta thrown in to lighten up the texture of normally dense gnocchi. Looks delicious.

According to Nutrition Data, chives a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

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