Tapas

I had lunch today at one of my very favorite places, a tapas restaurant.  For those of you not familiar with the genre, tapas originated in Spain.  Sangria is a wine with fruit and brandy in it, served frequently there.  Unfortunately, it attracts flies.  Spanish taverns began covering glasses of sangria with a small plate to keep them out.  Not wanting to serve their customers an empty plate, they came up with small appetizers to put on the plates.  So tapas are small Spanish dishes that are meant to be shared.  They have a beautiful profile of sherry, olive oil, and garlic.

So I thought, what tapas dishes can we make from items we've recently had in our boxes, or things in season now?  Well, here goes!

Photo via Steamy Kitchen

Artichokes

A number of wonderful tapas dishes involve a strongly garlic-flavored olive oil.  It's great on artichokes too.  Another preparation uses lemon along with the wonderful garlic oil.

Apples 

Manchego cheese is a sheep milk cheese commonly used in Spanish cuisine.  It pairs well with apples.  Slice the apples thinly, soak them in rum or brandy for a couple of hours, and serve with the cheese.  Another option is to make an apple paste.  A creamy salad of apples and walnuts is another classic tapas dish.

Photo via Food.com

Oranges

Valencia is a city on the Medeterranean (east) coast of Spain, and they grow oranges in that region.  So yes, there are many tapas dishes that have oranges, such as this orange and onion salad.  There's plenty of beautiful, young asparagus in the store, so don't use canned asparagus when you make orange and lemon sauce to serve it with.

Spinach

One of my very favorite tapas dishes is this one, spinach with currants and pine nuts.  I add a teaspoon or two of good sherry vinegar just before serving.  This chickpea and spinach stew from Seville is another delicious option. 

Photo via about.com

 

Spinach Me Right Round Baby, Right Round!

Oh the food puns never end!

So, if you saw the Crop Share "spoiler" already you'll know we're getting loose New Jersey spinach!  Don't worry, it's not THAT kind of spinach, so if you're picturing Snookie, just stop.  This will be first of the season spinach from as close to home as we can get it this time of year, and it's grown in super sandy soil, so that means it's gonna be messy and gritty.

"Ahhhhhh!!!  No gritty spinach, EVER!!!"

I'm with the bunny, I hate grit in my spinach, and I've had way too many spinach salads at restaurants where I'm pretty sure I exfoliated the inside of my mouth, and last time I checked, that wasn't a body part you're to exfoliate.  But don't fret!  Because we have a fool proof, no fail way to wash your spinach so that you can kiss the grit goodbye!

Click through to read our tips on how to Beat The Gritty Spinach Blues!

Then once you have that spinach all washed and lovely, what's a cook do to with it?  Here's our top 5 favorite spinach recipes...

Asian Salmon Bowls with Spinach

Baked Chicken & Spinach Flautas

Go Green Smoothie

Italian Greens & Beans

Strawberry, Spinach & Almond Salad with a Poppy Seed Dressing

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers via Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

About a month ago, I was on the phone with my mother-in-law while she was making dinner and when I heard what she was whipping up I begged for the recipe.  I'm very pro-stuffing vegetables, especially peppers, so when she said these were like chicken enchiladas inside bell pepper, um YES PLEASE.  The report from her was they they were delicious, but she felt they could use a clove or two of minced garlic (we're all functionally Italian, we'd put garlic in pancakes if we could get away with it).  So grab those green bell peppers from this week and your spinach, because this is two for one recipe on the Crop Share goodies this week.  I'm sure you could even toss some diced yellow squash in, if you're really looking to sneak extra veggies into your meals.

Follow the link below to see the recipe on Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice, and check out the rest of her recipes.  She's got a killer looking Cheesy Spinach & Bacon Puff Pastry Quiche -- Easter brunch anyone?!

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers via Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Spring's Bounty Soup

I came across this recipe for "Spring Celebration Soup" in one of my cookbooks, and while I figured it would be fitting to give this one a try since Spring is officially here, I looked at the ingredients and thought, "This is going to taste like the color green."  So I decided to make it!  Because if you don't have a kitchen fail every once in awhile your husband might forget the gloriousness of take-away!  I switched up some of the veg to cater to what was in our Crop Shares this week, and then I decided to really go off the rails and use the carrot greens in place of the parsley required for this soup.  I really thought about calling this the Waste Not Want Not Soup since there are very few kitchen scraps that come out of this one, and hey if you have the carrot greens, why not use them!  As an aside, Crop Share member Deanna Freedlander has a fantastic recipe for Carrot Top Pesto that she puts over spaghetti squash.  Since squash season is on it's way out, just use regular pasta or even turn your yellow squash into "squoodles" (if you have a sprial cutter or a juillene tool that will cut thin noodle-like strips, just saute those in a little bit of olive oil for a few minutes and ta-da veggie pasta!).

Once I'd finished the soup, I took one look at it and thought, "what have I done?!"  But once I tasted it, is was surprisingly good!  It didn't taste like the color green, it was refreshing and even filling.  So...I had another bowl.  Thus if you're looking for something bright and fresh, that is so chock full of veggie goodness it would make a vegan blush, then this is the soup for you.  And if your spinach is starting to look a bit sad by today, this is a great way to use it up since it's getting pureed in and looking wilty won't matter.

Spring's Bounty Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bundle green onions, chopped (and hang onto the stem ends and start to re-sprout them as we did with the romaine here!)
4 carrots from bundle, skinned and diced
Carrot greens, minced
1 bundle asparagus, chopped
5 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 bundle of spinach, stem ends trimmed at root (see our trick for perfectly clean and grit-free spinach)
1 cup milk (I used unsweetened rice milk for dairy-free)
Salt & pepper to taste


In a stock pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat and add in garlic to saute until just fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add in green onions and carrots and saute for 5 minutes, then add carrot greens and asparagus and cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Pour in stock and lemon juice, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat slightly and simmer, uncovered, for about 5-7 minutes.  Add in spinach and simmer for 2-3 minutes more, just long enough to wilt down the spinach.

If you've got an immersion blender, this is where it becomes your best friend.  Break that baby out and start to puree the dickens out of this soup -- just make sure to pull it off the heat, unless you're really a fan of hot soup burns.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you'll want to use a measuring cup to puree up about 2 cups of the soup at a time, and you'll need a holding pot or bowl for the already pureed portions, as you'll be returning everything to the main pot.

Once pureed, return to heat and bring back to a simmer.  Stir in your cup of milk, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes, and then remove from heat and let stand for the same amount of time, to let the flavors set up.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve with crusty bread (the baguettes at Nalls on Fridays would be PERFECT).  Or if your immune system hates gluten like mine does, make sad puppy eyes at the baguettes and then pick up some gluten-free bagel chips or crackers.  Glutino makes some killer rosemary crackers.


Adapted from Simply In Season by Mary Beth Lind & Cathleen Hockman-Wert

**Speaking of all things Spring, don't forget next weekend (4/25-4/26) is the LAST weekend of the Early Spring Crop Share round.  But don't despair, the Spring Round will kick off on May 9th, so be sure to grab a registration form when you're picking up this weekend.  They've got more details on the Crop Share portion of the website...**

Salmon With Vegetables In Herb Butter Sauce

In Dublin's fair city, Molly Malone may have wheeled about her cart of cockles and mussels (alive, alive, oh!), but she might as well have been wheeling about fillets of salmon for as much as the Irish consume of this meaty, delightful fish.  That's one of the benefits of being an island, all the seafood, all the time!  And while most of us think of fish & chips when it comes to Irish seafood, that's like portraying all American cuisine as just McDonald's.  Those folks know their fishies, and how to best prepare them, and one of my all time favorite recipes comes from Margaret M. Johnson's cookbook The New Irish Table.  In a bit of a twist on a surf & turf, she tops some wine and butter poached salmon with veggies from the land and the sea. I'll spare you having to hunt down dried sea vegetables, and just stick with lovely land based ones.  But this is one dish that is sure to be a winner, winner, St. Patrick's Day dinner!

Salmon With Vegetables In Herb Butter Sauce

Ingredients
2 Tbsp dry white wine
1/2 cup fish stock or bottled clam juice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup spinach, coarse chopped
4 salmon fillets, about 5-6 ounces a piece
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 Tbsp parsley, minced
1 Tbsp chives, minced
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste


In a large saute pan, heat the white wine over medium heat until reduced by half.  Add in the fish stock/clam juice, lemon juice, bay leaf, and all the vegetables from the carrots thru the spinach.  Place the salmon on top of the vegetables, cover the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the salmon is cooked thru.  Transfer the salmon to a plate to keep warm, and into the pan add your butter and stir till well blended.  Then stir in your herbs, salt & pepper, and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Serve each piece of salmon with a generous spoonful of the vegetables and butter sauce.

Strawberry, Spinach & Almond Salad with a Poppy Seed Dressing

And you thought you were getting rid of me that easy?  Muahahahaha, surprise!  I'll (Tara) still be manning things over here in Nalls' Kitchen, because really, how can I pull myself away?  So gird your loins for continued random musings of Crop Share cooking adventures.  And guest posts are still welcome, encouraged and greatly enjoyed!  You'll still be able to send recipes and guest posts to tara@nallsproduce.com or send them to cropshare@nallsproduce.com and Valerie will forward them my way.

Now...let's get cookin'!

So yesterday, the Mister and I discovered something glorious...Winesday.  We'd heard about Whole Foods wine tastings, but never seriously looked into it until this week.  When I learned that $5 per person got you 5 wines to taste (they say it works out to about a glass and a half by the end - but there were some generous pour-ers last night!), food pairings at each station, and a glass to keep.  Plus, if you bring your glass back, you get a $1 off future Winesdays.  Drinking in the grocery on the cheap, and at a place like Whole Paycheck nonetheless?  To that I say...Namaste!  Side note: If you've yet to read, Surviving Whole Foods, it's a must, especially if you've also taken your life into your own hands in the parking garage at the one in Old Town.  

So what was the very first food pairing we encountered?  A spinach salad with strawberries!  And what are we getting this week in the Crop Share?  STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!  So skip the Whole Paycheck prices and whip up this delectable salad, complete with your own homemade poppy seed dressing.  Toss in some chicken, shrimp or tofu to make it a meal.  And of course, if anyone wants to come drink with me in the grocery, you will henceforth be able to find me celebrating Winesdays at the Whole Foods in Old Town between 5-7 PM.  Completely for recipe research of course!

Strawberry, Spinach & Almond Salad

For salad:

1/2 lb fresh spinach

1/2 pint strawberries, halved

2 Tbsp slivered almonds, toasted and unsalted (to toast your own, brown in a skillet over medium heat, the natural oils in the almonds will be sufficient)

For Poppy Seed Dressing:

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp sweet onion, minced

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce (for gluten-free stick with original Lea & Perinns as it's safe, huzzah!)

1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

In a blender, add your first 5 dressing ingredients and blend for about 30 seconds until smooth.  Then with the blender running, slowly pour in oil in a steady stream to make an emulsion.  Once fully blended, stir in poppy seeds and set aside.  You can either serve it at room temp or if you're wanting a warm dressing, put it in a microwave safe container and nuke it for 30 seconds to maybe at most a minute.  You want it warm, not hot.

For salad, use our handy dandy tips for no gritty spinach, and then trim stems.  Toss with strawberries and toasted almonds, and then right before serving gently toss with the Poppy Seed Dressing.

Yields 2 servings.

Green Refresh Smoothie

Anyone else feel like the spinach this week just won't quit?  I used about 3 cups in the Go Green Smoothie, then I tossed 2 handfuls into some Homemade Take-Away Beef With Broccoli, and some how I still had a good 3 cups left this morning for yet another smoothie.  Pretty sure my spinach keeps regenerating.

So this morning I wanted another green smoothie, yet something more refreshing than sweet.  So I grabbed the one pear and the one lemon I had left and thus, the Green Refresh Smoothie was born.  This is the perfect morning wake up, and it would be especially great after a morning workout to get you recharged and give you a nutrient boost.  Other than 1 cup of almond milk and 12 ice cubes, this smoothie is all produce.  And  if you like lemonade, then this one is sure to please!

Green Refresh Smoothie

Ingredients:

12 ice cubes, divided
1 banana, peeled
1 Bartlett pear, cored and cubed
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I used Almond Breeze)
3 cups spinach, washed and stems trimmed
Juice of 1 lemon

In  your blender, add 6 ice cubes, the banana, pear and almond milk.  Blend until ice is fully crushed.  Then add your spinach, and you may need to add it in batches so you're not cramming the blender.  Once the spinach is fully blended, add in your lemon juice and final 6 ice cubes, and blend until the ice is completely crushed.

Serve immediately.  Makes about 2 mason jars (pint sized) full.

Go Green Smoothie

If it's green and in liquid form, I want to drink it.  Go figure.  Doesn't matter that it looks like gnarly baby food, I want to consume it all.  One big problem with most commercially available smoothies though...they put wheat grass in them.  And for me and my gluten-hating system, that's a big no-no.  So if I want a green smoothie, I've got to make it myself.  Who wants grass in their smoothie anyway?!  Leave that for the cows!  So when I saw the massive bundles of spinach this week, I knew exactly what needed to happen first thing Saturday morning.  GREEN SMOOTHIE TIME!  Woot!  Trust me, even with 2-3 cups of spinach you cannot detect the spinach flavor.  I even forced a mason jar full of green goodness on the Mister.  He looked at me suspiciously, gave it a swig and declared it was delicious.  He then proceeded to drink two mason jars full and asked if there was more.  So if you're on a post-holiday smoothie kick, this is the perfect drink to give your body a jolt of wonderfulness and get fueled up for the day ahead.  I still have more spinach left even after this recipe and throwing two handfuls into some Homemade Take-Away Beef with Broccoli, so look for yet another green smoothie recipe to follow in the days to come.

Go Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
16 ice cubes, divided
1 pint strawberries, tops trimmed and quartered
1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Almond Breeze, you can use any milk of your choice, but the almond milk gives you a nice added protein boost)
2 Bartlett pears, cored and cubed
Juice of 1 navel orange
1 tsp local honey (you can also use agave or maple syrup)
2-3 cups spinach, well rinsed and stems trimmed

Into your blender, add 8 of the ice cubes, the strawberries and almond milk.  Blend on high until ice is fully crushed and strawberries are blended.  Add in pears, navel orange juice and honey, and blend those down as well.  Next add your spinach, and you'll likely have to blend these down in batches to make sure you have enough room in the blender.  Blend until completely smooth.  You'll likely have some noticeable green bits no matter how long you try to blend it, and that's okay, you won't be able to taste them.  Then add in your remaining 8 ice cubes and blend until ice is fully crushed.

Serve immediately.  Made 4 mason jars full.

Italian Greens & Beans

Spending a week back in Youngstown and being in the off-season at Nalls means I've gotten to spend a lot of time back in the kitchen, and what is cooking in my kitchen has been LOTS of Italian food.  As I've said before, neither of us have a lick of Italian in us, but growing up where we did, you essentially become Mediterranean by association.  So one of my hometown favorites I got to eat over the holidays was Italian Greens & Beans.  And while I was eating it, an epiphany, a delicious epiphany...there's no reason I can't make this on my own, AND this would make a perfect Crop Share recipe for all the greens we get.  BINGO!  So over this dreary weekend, I whipped up a batch of this loveliness, and this will definitely be going into heavy rotation any time we get greens in the Crop Share.  Traditionally this is made with escarole, but any greens will do.  So if you're burnt out on Kale Chips or flummoxed by collards, this is an easy, quick, versatile, and nutrient packed dish that's sure to please!

Italian Greens & Beans

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, diced
7 cups greens (I used a mix of spinach, baby chard and baby bok choy, but you can also use escarole, kale, collards, or Swiss chard, just remove larger leaves from the stems)
1/2 cup red wine (I used a pinot noir.  Avoid any sweet reds)
19 oz cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained
3/4 cup marinara sauce
Kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste
Dash or two of red pepper flakes, optional

In a large skillet, heat oil over high medium high heat.  Add in garlic and onion and saute until translucent.  Add in greens, and you may have to add them in batches to allow them to wilt down to make room for the rest.  Cook until greens are fully wilted.  Add in wine, and simmer for an additional minute or two.  Stir in beans and marinara, and then add your salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Stir to fully combine, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Taste sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.

This is great as a side dish, or toss it with some pasta for a vegetarian main dish.  Or throw in some chicken or shrimp for added protein.  We ate ours as a side, and then the leftovers got re-heated in a skillet with some leftover shrimp from shrimp cocktail, and then we tossed it with some gluten-free pasta.

Penne With Spicy Greens & Sausage

Do you see a theme this week?  Sausage & greens!  Ha!  I don't know what it is, but hot Italian turkey sausage and some form of greens are a magical combination in my book.  So last night when I got home from a chilly day at work (and learned that yes, I have holes in both of my boots, ergh!) all I wanted was a big plate of carbs and heat.  So out came the rest of last week's kale, the McCauley's Pepper Relish (original, mild and hot available in store), and some turkey sausage and dinner was born.  Is this pretty much like the Spaghetti with Broccoli, Sausage & Hot Peppers?  Yes.  But why stop a good thing?  And, in fact, the Mister and I like this even better than the version with broccoli, so much so that he's requested it again once we get this week's collard greens.  So whether you're using up the kale from last week, plowing through the collards from this week, or you've got spinach or swiss chard on hand, this dish works fantastic with any leafy green.  And the more greens the better!  You want the dish to be mostly greens, with the crumbled turkey sausage in second, and then with the penne coming in third.  Or forget the pasta and stuff this filling into two halves of some acorn squash, for even more veggie madness!

Penne With Spicy Greens & Sausage

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
5 hot Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed and crumbled
Half a bundle of collards, kale or swiss chard, or a full bundle of spinach, rinsed and rough chopped
1/4 reduced sodium chicken stock or dry white wine
1 Tbsp (heaping - or less for not as much heat) McCauley's Roasted Pepper Relish (in store!)
12 oz penne pasta, cooked to package directions (I use Bio-Nature brand for gluten free and it's not gummy at all!  LOVE!)

Cook pasta per package directions and meanwhile...

In a medium sized skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add in turkey sausage, casing removed and crumble as much as possible.  You'll need to break the bits up with your saute spoon as it cooks.  Cook until meat is browned and cooked through.  Stir in pepper relish (can use less to reduce the heat), and cook to heat through, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Deglaze pan with chicken stock or white wine and stir to scrape any browned bit off of the bottom of the pan.  Stir in chopped greens -- you may have to add them in batches and let them simmer down before adding more so you have enough room for everyone.  Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until greens are fully wilted.  Remove from heat, add in pasta and toss to evenly coat.  Finish with an extra glug of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking, and toss again before serving.

A Spin on Spinach!

Most of us are used to spinach as the base for a salad or as a creamed side dish that is equal parts comforting and also kind of disturbing.  But one thing we're all used to is...gritty spinach.  It's true, spinach collects more grit than a bathing suit bottom after a day at the beach.  But we've got a fail proof way to Beat The Gritty Spinach Blues and say goodbye to grit for good.  So follow that link little grasshopper and learn the the wisdom of grit free spinach because then you are all freed up to explore the versatility of this tasty green.


If you're wanting to pre-game your body before the Thankgiving caloric onslaught, plan to toss a handful into your next smoothie or juice it up and use up your beets and apples from this week for some ABC Juice.  When you juice spinach or add it to a smoothie, it has such a neutral flavor that it's easily hidden yet you still get all the wonderful health benefits, including that great iron boost.

ABC (Apple Beet Carrot) Juice

Speaking of pre-gaming, throw some of that spinach into your tailgating festivities!  No not with a salad...with crunchy, savory treats!  Whenever I made these Baked Chicken Flautas, I always sneak some spinach into the mix, because then I feel a-okay about dipping mine right into sour cream.  I have a bit of an obsession with sour cream.

Baked Chicken & Spinach Flautas

Did I mention my obsession with sour cream, because if not, you should know, I have a bit of an obsession with sour cream.  Now that that's out of the way, it's time to talk about another tailgating spinach classic...creamy, dreamy spinach dip.  I've been drooling over this recipe from Skinnytaste all day (it contains sour cream, tee-hee!) and this is exactly what I plan on doing with my spinach this week.  And before I bake it, I'm going to freeze that bad boy up, because a dip of this magnitude deserves to be featured during the Ohio State vs. Michigan game next Saturday.  Did I say game?  Oh I mean slaughter!!  Sorry Wolverines, though I'm sure the spinach dip would be a great comfort food to lick your wounds to.  So, enjoy this recipe from Skinny taste and for all my fellow Buckeyes...O-H-

Hot Spinach Dip via Skinnytaste

Juice It Up!

So this Monday I had the pleasure of partnering with Pat Backe of Senior Fall Prevention and Kingstowne Pilates to host a Juicing With Greens workshop at the Kingstowne Center for Active Adults.  It was a fantastic class with lots of hilarity (a juiced apple spurting across the room) and extreme randomness (ginger root pilfering), but the juices that Pat whipped up for all of us were fantastic.  So since much of the ingredients focused on seasonal items that we're all getting right now, I thought I'd share the two recipes from Monday with you.  If you don't have a juicer, you can still use a blender to make these items, though I'd recommend peeling the items first, and just know that they won't be as smooth and pulp free as if you were using a juicer.  But no matter what equipment you have, just be sure to wash all of your fruits and vegetables well beforehand.

ABC (Apple-Beet-Carrot) Juice

Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 apple (we used Suncrisp)
2 beets
3 large carrots
1" knob of ginger, peeled
Handful of kale, spinach or even toss in the beet greens

Kale-Aid Juice

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
5 large kale leaves
1-2 cucumbers
1 lemon, peeled
1 apple (we used Suncrisp)
1" knob of ginger, peeled (for more kick add 2 or 3 pieces of ginger)
1-2 large celery ribs

For both recipes, wash your ingredients well, then cup them up as needed to fit through the chute of your juicer or to make blending easier.  Juice the ingredients in the order they're listed and serve immediately with or without ice.

Asian Salmon Bowls with Spinach

Oh salmon, how I love thee!  Especially when it comes with a sticky sweet glaze.  These salmon bowls are one of our favorite go-to weeknight meals, so we will hoard salmon when it's on deal.  Everything in this dish is in perfect balance, and all the healthy fats from the salmon and iron in the spinach gives it all an extra boost of awesome.  And for you beer lovers, this may be a fish dish, but it is fantastic with a nice dark beer (gluten-free foodies, e-mail me at tara@nallsproduce.com for my GF beer recommendation list, or just to generally weep and whine that Guinness can never grace our lips again).  I've talked a lot about booze this week, haven't I?  I swear, I'm really not a lush!  Despite my Irishness, I've become such a lightweight to the point I'm a one and one drink girl.  Ask the Mister, it's not a pretty sight after 2 drinks.  Somewhere my ancestors are rolling over in their graves.

Asian Salmon Bowls

Ingredients:

1 cup jasmine rice
2 tsp unsalted butter (or Earth Balance margarine for dairy-free)
1 clove garlic, diced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup or local honey
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce (I use Kikkoman's wheat-free soy)
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp water
4 salmon fillets (4 oz each), skin removed
1 tsp olive oil
1 bundle spinach (say no more to gritty spinach with our handy spinach washing tips)
2 tsp sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare rice according to package directions (1 cup uncooked to get 2 cups cooked).

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add in garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for about 1 minute, taking care not to burn the garlic.  Add in maple syrup or honey, lime juice, and soy sauce. Cook until mixture is syrupy and bubbly, about 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water, and then stir that into the sweet and spicy glaze.  Cook for an additional minute to allow sauce to thicken.

Place salmon fillets on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush each fillet with 1-2 tsp of the glaze, and roast for 12 minutes at 400.

While salmon is roasting, in a skillet, heat your oil over medium high heat.  Add in spinach and saute until wilted.  Toss in a teaspoon of the glaze and a dash of sesame seeds.  Remove from heat.

Divide rice among 4 bowls (or 2 for serving and package up the rest for tomorrow's lunches), then evenly top with the spinach, and add 1 filet of salmon to each serving.  Drizzle with remaining sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds over top.

Baked Chicken & Spinach Flautas

If  the idea of more corn on the cob leaves you feeling lackluster, then here's a way to put this week's corn to good use in a healthy twist on a fried Mexican favorite.  No, not fried ice cream, sillies!

Baked Chicken & Spinach Flautas

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast tenderloins
16 oz beer or chicken broth (I used Omission gluten free beer)
2 cups water
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 jalapeno, minced
3 ears corn, boiled and kernels removed from cob
3 cups spinach, chopped
6 tortillas, corn or flour
6 oz shredded cheese
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cook corn in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.  Allow to cool and remove corn from cobs.  Set aside.

Poach chicken in boiling beer and water for about 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.  Remove from liquid and shred with forks.  Reserve about 1/4 cup of liquid.  Toss shredded chicken in spices and set aside.

Bring 1/4 cup of poaching liquid to a simmer and add jalapeno and cabbage.  Simmer for 2 -3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.  Remove from liquid and toss with corn and chicken.

Lay out tortillas on a baking sheet and evenly spoon out chicken and vegetable mixture.  Top with shredded cheese.  Roll up each tortilla tightly and place seam side down to secure.  Brush tops with olive oil, and place in oven to bake for 10 minutes or until tortillas are golden brown and crispy.

Serve with a side of salsa and sour cream.


(Recipe adapted from: http://www.healthy-delicious.com/2012/03/baked-chicken-and-spinach-flautas/)

Cause I Eats Me Spinach! Beating the Gritty Spinach Blues.

We all know how much Popeye loves his spinach and some how that canned substance gave him super muscles to take on any foe.

But perhaps you're not feeling the love so much, especially when it comes to fresh spinach.  Do you have...the gritty spinach blues?  *gasp*

We've all been there, you order a lovely, fresh spinach salad and your first bite is like a day at the beach.  No, not because it's that transportive that you feel as if you've landed in the tropics.  Nope, you've now got a mouth full of sand and you feel like you're eating that beach.  Earthy flavors are great, just not when you feel like you're actually munching on parts of terra firma.  So how to you beat the gritty spinach blues?  You send that spinach to the pool!

Okay, you won't actually toss your fresh spinach into the pool, the other swimmers would likely mind and I don't think chlorine is the right pairing for this leafy green.  You'll turn your sink into a mini spinach pool.  Put down your salad spinner and back away from the colander, trust me.  The grit that sits on spinach is super grit, it won't fall off just by running water over it or spinning it to death, it will cling on like it's life depended on it.  But, super grit apparently likes deep sea diving.  So, stop up your sink, fill it with water, and toss in your loose spinach.  Give the spinach a swish around every few minutes, and let it just hang out in the water for about 5 minutes.  During that time, all of the grit will magically plummet itself to the bottom of your sink.  So you can skim the spinach off the top (it's just like cleaning the pool!), and then unplug the drain to let that grit wash far far away.  And voilà...clean, grit-free spinach!  So toss up a salad with some warm bacon dressing or saute it up with some garlic and a touch of olive oil for a simple side dish.  Kiss that grit goodbye!

Spring Garden Chicken

Don't let spinach fool you, it's not just for salads.  Sure there's also spinach & artichoke dip, but sauteing spinach may just be the best way to showcase these greens.  And this Spring Garden Chicken makes for a fast and healthy weeknight meal.  Now for those of you who shy away from spinach because every time you've had it, you feel like you get a mouth full of grit, let me let you in on a little kitchen secret.  The best way to rinse and wash spinach is by filling your sink with water,  tossing your spinach in loose and then just let it sit for a few minutes, swishing it around a bit to help loosen any remaining dirt and sand.  If you just run it under water, it won't allow for all the dirt to come off, but if you soak it for several minutes, all of the sediment will sink to the bottom and you'll be left with grit-free spinach.

Spring Garden Chicken

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs cooked chicken

3 scallions, chopped

1 lb fresh spinach

2 tsp olive oil or wok oil

1 cup ketchup

2 tsp hot pepper oil

4 Tbsp sugar

1 cup chicken stock

4 tsp cornstarch

Rice for serving

Cube cooked chicken and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine ketchup, hot pepper oil, sugar and cornstarch until well blended.

Heat oil in a skillet or wok.  Add the scallions and stir fry quickly.  Pour in sauce and heat to boiling.  Add chicken and spinach, stir frying for approximately 1 minutes more or until spinach leaves are wilted.

Serve over rice.

Crustless Spinach, Onion and Feta Quiche

Try substituting spinach for swiss chard. It's amazing!  Not a fan of feta? Try it with goat cheese! You can also make it into mini quiches and bake in a muffin pan.

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
6-oz fresh baby spinach
2 large eggs
1/2 cup egg beaters (liquid substitute)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 1/3 cups non fat milk
1/2 cup feta cheese

Click here to view the rest of this recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=308291

Savory Spinach Bites

These little spinach bites will make a great appetizer for your Spring gatherings or an afternoon snack. Add a little mozzarella if you want to make them cheesier.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 clove)

2 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 8-ounce bag of herbed seasoned stuffing mix

6 large eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

For instructions, please visit: http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2011/02/04/savory-spinach-bites/

For dipping, you can use McCutcheon's Marinara Sauce. It's delicious and low in sodium!