Martha stewart's vegetables Inspired recipes and tips for choosing, cooking, and enjoying the freshest seasonal flavors

Rainbow Carrots and Chard   Taste the rainbow: Carrots come in an array of beautiful colors. For this striking side dish, we blanched a variety of colors just until tender and bright, then tossed them with a lemon vinaigrette and the color-coordinated stems of rainbow chard.   SERVES 4   1 pound small carrots, trimmed and scrubbed Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard, stems trimmed (leaves reserved for another use) 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and ½ lemon, thinly sliced into rounds 1 teaspoon sugar ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Fresh mint leaves, for serving   1. Prepare a large ice-water bath. Cook carrots in a pot of generously salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer to ice bath until cool, then remove with a spider and pat dry. 2. Cook chard stems in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to ice bath, drain, and pat dry. 3. Whisk together lemon juice, and sugar in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until combined. 4. Combine carrots, chard, and lemon rounds in a large bowl. Toss with some dressing, then transfer to a platter. Top with mint and serve. Excerpted from Martha Stewart's Vegetables by Martha Stewart All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.