From the original site:  I customized this recipe for pesto by playing with the key ingredients. I use fresh basil and spinach leaves in a 1:1 ratio and this sort of avoids the intensity that you would get by just adding basil or replacing it entirely with spinach. Another twist is instead of pine nuts I use walnuts and blanched almonds in equal amounts- again, because I like these over pine nuts.

To make a dip and a spread using this pesto recipe I added in goat cheese. Unlike cheeses made form cow’s milk, Goat cheese has a natural tart that blends in and adds a more creamy and acidic flavor to the pesto. The good part about Goat cheese is that it complements the pesto rather than neutralizing it completely.

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It’s so easy, but trust me, it’s all good.
I usualy make this for lunch, but it could also go very well with any meat or fish.

Special Instructions: Serves 4-6

Instructions:

Roast the sesame seeds in a small pan for a couple of minutes until they’re golden.
Add them to the spinach and quinoa.
To make the vinaigrette, mix the oil, soy sauce and lemon juice together.
Add the vinaigrette to the salad and give it a stir.
Done!

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From the original site: I love spinach no less than Popeye and cook it in a variety of ways. You’ve read some of my Indian recipes with spinach so far; now presenting a healthy pasta sauce with spinach as its prime ingredient. This dish should make spinach-haters too have a change of heart.

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Mini Salmon Burgers over Spinach Salad

Serves 3 (2 Patties each, plus one extra) but can easily be increased to serve more.  This is one of those “everything is approximate” type recipes, like making tuna salad, so don’t stress over exact amounts, and feel free to adjust to your taste.

• 2 6 oz cans Salmon  – Pink, boneless and skinless
• 1 egg, beaten
• ~1 teas horseradish
• dash lemon juice
• ~1/2 teas dill
• ~1 1/2 teas dill relish
• ~1 1/2 teas sweet relish
• ~1 T dijon mustard
• ~2-3 T mayonaise
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• Salt and Pepper

Combine all ingredients to mayo in a large bowl.  stir well to combine.

Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Add 1/2 c breadcrumbs and stir well.    If consistency is still too wet to form into a patty, add additional breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle plate with additional breadcrumbs to minimize sticking.

Form in to small patties (~ 7).  Place on to the plate to rest while you prepare salad.

Drizzle olive oil in a large non-stick skillet, medium heat.

When hot, add your patties.  Cook ~ 3-4 minutes per side or until browned on the outside and hot on the inside.

Serve warm on top of salad.  (Or on the side of the salad for picky children)

Spinach Salad

• ~ 4-6 cups Spinach leaves, stems removed  (enough salad for your number of people)
• ~1/2 c chick peas
• 1 small onion, sliced
• ~1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Toss with dressing (I recommend a warm bacon vinaigrette), spoon onto plate, and top with salmon patties.

[originally published sept 2010]-

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I love unusual recipes and for me, this combination, in this presentation was brand new. I also saw the possibilities for subbing in other vegetables and flavoring.

We love this dish and hope you will try it and find out that you do too.

Quoting the original site: I love unusual recipes and for me, this combination, in this presentation was brand new. I also saw the possibilities for subbing in other vegetables and flavoring. 

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Welcome again to Jennifer Locklin of Jane Deere!  For the second in her “Techniques” series, she brings us all the info we’d need to freeze greens for future use.  This swiss chard she’s working with here is just lovely.. she’s lucky enough to have grown her own, but you could of course use greens from your local farmers market or CSA box, if you’re thumb isn’t quite so green!  See the whole series.

How to Freeze Greens:  Collard, Mustard, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale

Here’s how to do it:

1. Pick the greens: Whether you are picking your own or getting them from a farmer’s market, make sure you select greens that are not too large or tough. Some leaves are naturally big, like collards and Swiss chard, so make your best judgment. Stay away from discolored, yellow leaves and leaves with a lot of bug damage.
*It’s very important, if you’re picking from your garden to harvest in the cool of the morning or evening, otherwise, the midday sun will cause wilting and you will defeat your purpose of having fresh, crisp veggies. Process vegetables as soon as possible. If not right away, keep in refrigerator or on ice.

2. Wash: I like to use a double sink method. Fill both sides with clean, cold water. After trimming off excess stems and any leaf damage, place desired leaves into one side of sink. Agitate leaves in water with your hands. Let the leaves sit in the water for about 3 to 5 minutes to allow all of the dirt and grit to sink to the bottom. After the time is up, skim the leaves carefully off the top of the water and transfer over to the fresh water side. Agitate again with hands and wait for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from water, rinsing in cold running water for the final rinse. Place onto double-folded clean kitchen towels for drip-drying.

3. Blanch greens:  Fill large pot about 2/3 full of clean water and bring to a full boil.  Use one gallon water per pound of prepared vegetables. Put the vegetable into vigorously boiling water. Push down with tongs. The water should return to boiling within 1 minute, if it doesn’t, you are using too much vegetable for the amount of boiling water. Start counting blanching time as soon as you place the vegetables into the boiling water. Cover with a tight fitting lid and keep heat high for the time given in the directions for the vegetable you are freezing. In this case, 3 minutes. (Here’s a handy chart for cooking times: National Center for Home Food Preservation)

What & Why? Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture.

Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins. It also wilts or softens vegetables and makes them easier to pack.

Blanching time is crucial and varies with the vegetable and size. Underblanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching. Overblanching causes loss of flavor, color, vitamins and minerals.

4. Shock greens: Shocking vegetables is the process of plunging them into ice water to immediately stop the cooking process. This preserves the color, nutrients and flavor.

Fill clean sink basin or large bowl with fresh water and a lot of ice. Using tongs or slotted spoon to remove boiling vegetables, immediately transfer to ice bath and gently stir and submerge allowing them to cool for about the same time as they cooked.

5. Drain: I like to gently squeeze the water out of the chard so that I’m not freezing a lot of ice crystals. Here, I laid multiple layers of paper towel on my counter top and placed squeezed bundles of greens to drain. I measured the piles based on serving sizes. I used about 1 handful per person to amount to a serving. I bagged the greens according to the servings I would typically use for a given meal or recipe.

6. Bag: A lot of people like the Foodsaver system, but I don’t have one yet. I used Ziploc freezer bags and squeezed out as much air as possible. Make sure to label and date your packages! Greens can be kept frozen for 8 to 12 months.

Resources: Cooking Times from the National Center for Home Food Preservation

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It worked.   My punishment is that I now have one of those children.

The recipe I am going to give you is the only green vegetable that I ate between the years of pureed baby peas and St. Patricks Day green beer.  My grandfather proved to me that not all green food is bad (via mint chocolate chip ice cream) as my grandmother made these.  It worked.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.  Bribing kids since 1975.

Now – on to the Spinach Croquettes:

Cast of characters:

• Box of frozen spinach.
• One egg
• Handful of breadcrumbs
• Half a handful of grated parmesan cheese
• Olive Oil

Defrost the spinach according to the box directions.  This will normally take about 4 minutes in the microwave.  Drain as much liquid as possible from the spinach using a mesh strainer, or squeezing the spinach with a paper towel or clean dish towel.  Chop spinach on cutting board.

Place spinach in bowl, add egg.  Mix well.  Add bread crumbs and parmesan cheese to form firm patty.  Too much bread crumbs and that’s all you taste – too little and it will fall apart.

Heat olive oil to medium high heat.  Add patties and cook 3-5 minutes on one side, flip and continue cooking to a deep golden brown.  Remove to paper towels and blot oil.  Serve warm.

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• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Raspberries,
• Spinach
• Strawberries

If you absolutely must buy non-organic, consider using a fruit and veggie wash to wash them.    You only have one body to live in.  Take good care of it!

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Here’s What You Need:

3/4 cup shredded chicken

1 large handful of fresh baby spinach

3 tablespoons salsa (use your favorite brand- I used La Costena, you can buy it in small cans and it’s very cheap).

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 onion, diced

1/2 rice

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 jalapeno, diced.

1 clove of garlic, minced.

tortillas

cheese- optional

To Make:

I like to make my rice in a rice cooker- I added the 1/2 cup of rice, tablespoon of tomato paste, jalapeno and garlic to the my rice cooker and added a cup and a tablespoon of water (follow the instructions for your cooker) and set it to cook.

As the rice is cooking, in a medium skillet heat the chicken, salsa, spinach and cumin.

Once the chicken and rice are both done, I like to heat my tortillas so they are warm and flexible.  I place them on a plate, cover them with a paper towel and sprinkle the paper towel with some water.  Microwave for 30 seconds and you’ll have soft and flexible tortillas, great for burrito wrapping.

Place a couple of tablespoons of rice in the center of the tortilla, add some of the chicken mixture and top with onions and cheese.

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This will feed 2-3 people with a little leftover.

For dessert, we made Spiced Pecan Butternut Squash Bread with Yogurt Cheese Frosting.  I won’t feel bad if you go directly to the dessert because it’s absolutely wonderful!

First, start on the White Bean Salad.  This is a fabulous recipe from Emeril Lagasse.  I saw him make it on TV, tried it and have made it often ever since.  I take it to dinner parties all the time and everyone who tries it wants the recipe – it’s just that good!

Cannellini Bean Salad with Parsley Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced yellow onions
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne
• 1/3 cup very finely grated Parmesan, or crumbled goat cheese
• 1 1/2 cups fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Place the beans in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the drained beans, 4 teaspoons of the lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, the black pepper and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until softened and warmed through, 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to a decorative platter. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

In a blender or bowl of a small food processor, combine the parsley, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a blender or small food processor. Process on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1/3 cup oil with the motor running and process until smooth. Adjust seasoning, to taste.

Drizzle the parsley pesto over the beans.  Refrigerate until everything else is ready.

The Salmon

I buy frozen, Alaskan, wild caught fillets of Salmon.  Thaw them in a pot of water (in their package) for maybe 10 minutes and then just grill them on a grill pan (or regular frying pan if you don’t have a grill pan).  I just gave my man a grill pan (an Emeril special grill pan) for Christmas.  Pretty clever, heh?  Add a little salt & pepper to taste and grill the fillets about 10 minutes – about the same time as it takes for the spinach.

The Spinach

• 1 16 oz package of frozen organic spinach or fresh spinach.
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tblsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat and add the garlic.  Saute just an minute until fragrant and add the spinach – still frozen is okay.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally, and then uncover and cook out any liquid for maybe 2-3 minutes.

Your friends will want the recipes too!

Oh, and we used more of our butternut squash in a Spiced Pecan Butternut Squash Bread with Yogurt Cheese Frosting..  Uh huh, gooooood!!!

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