I was in high school when the Atkins Diet became popular. I had a friend named Kristen whose mother kept strictly healthy food in their kitchen. Fruits, vegetables and no junk food whatsoever. When the media began reporting that carbohydrates were unhealthy and that eliminating them could help weight loss,  Kristen’s family immediately gave up all pasta, flour and white sugar.

Since the Atkins craze, research has revealed that carbohydrates are not in fact, the source of all evil and that some carbohydrates them can be part of a healthy diet. There is also evidence that shows that carbohydrates can provide essential nutrients like fiber and other important vitamins and minerals.

I always choose whole grain or whole wheat bread and pasta, when possible. Like everything else, I eat white flour and sugar in moderations (unless we’re talking about soft chocolate chip cookies. Then I owe moderation nothing).

Kalyn’s Kitchen is one of my favorite go-to blogs for healthy recipes. She features low-glycemic foods which means, in English, the “good carbohydrates.”

Recently I had a craving for pasta and a bunch of swiss chard that I had no idea how to use, so I found her recipe for whole wheat spaghetti with swiss chard and pecorino romano cheese. This is the kind of easy recipe you’ll want to make again and again – and again.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Garlic, Chard and Pecorino-Romano Cheese
Serves 4

What You Need:

8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
salt, for pasta cooking water (I used fine grind sea salt)
12-16 oz. fresh chard leaves, cut into crosswise strips
1 T finely minced fresh garlic
Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup hot pasta cooking water (remove before draining pasta)
1/2 cup coarsely grated Pecorino-Romano cheese (or use any hard grating cheese with a good
flavor such as Parmesan or Asiago)
fresh ground black pepper to taste

How-To:

1. Cut chard leaves into crosswise strips about 1/2 inch wide, cutting out large inner chard stems if needed. Wash chard strips and spin dry or dry with paper towels.

2. Grate the Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan cheese on the largest holes of a cheese grater, then coarsely chop with chef’s knife, keeping the cheese pieces fairly large.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, adding a generous amount of salt (enough that the water tastes slightly salty.) When water is boiling, add the spaghetti, stir once, reduce heat slightly and boil until the spaghetti is cooked but still slightly chewy or al dente.

4. In the largest heavy frying pan you have, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add minced garlic (and hot pepper flakes if using) and saute garlic about 1 minute. Be sure not to let the garlic get brown or it can easy turn bitter. It’s done when you start to smell garlic.

5. Add chard strips all at once and saute 1-2 minutes, just until chard is wilted down to about half the size it was. Use a measuring cup to remove 1/4 cup hot pasta cooking water and add to chard, then reduce heat to the lowest possible setting to keep the chard warm.

6. As soon as pasta is cooked but still slightly chewy, drain pasta in a colander placed in the sink, then add hot pasta to the pan with the cooked chard and toss. Add about half the grated cheese and toss again. Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper, then divide spaghetti on individual plates,top each serving with cheese, and serve hot.

Note: This recipe makes a lot of food. If you’re cooking for yourself you can halve the recipe, eat one serving for dinner and bring the leftovers for lunch to work the next day.