Tag: spinach
Green Rice
- I made this rice with the Mexican/Latin entree I was making for a small get together. I had initially thought of making Spanish rice with tomatoes, onions and garlic and lots of lime juice but when I thought of my main entree, I realized the enchiladas were cooked in a red sauce- and I didn’t want to make red rice with it. It would be drab looking. After doing some thinking- I came up with this green rice.
- One of the things I think of when coming up with a menu is presentation. I strive to have a colorful mix when serving any meal. We eat with our eyes first and it is very healthy to have foods of all different colors.
- In this case, I had baby spinach in the fridge- it is one of the staple vegetables you will always find at my house.
- I blended spinach, cilantro, green onions and garlic together and used the paste as the base for rice. It was delicious and paired really well with the enchiladas.
- This side dish is very versatile- serve it with chicken, fish or a steak. Pair it with a quesadilla or serve with some eggs and refried beans for breakfast. Speaking of refried beans- wait till you see how easy they are to make- recipe will be up tomorrow!
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Moroccan Style Chicken with Spinach Cilantro Couscous
This dish takes the mundane chicken dinner to a whole new level. We had our usual Friday get together with Sia’s friend, her sisters and their Mom. It started off as a pizza party and as far as the kids are concerned, that is what we should serve every week. Most times I don’t feel like ordering pizza and would rather cook something at home.
So when the day came, I decided to make a chicken dish- something different (I usually say that in my mind- I really do). I was either watching or reading something- I can’t remember, but Moroccan chicken came up. That was it- I couldn’t think of anything else. I bought the chicken and – everything else was in the house. Couscous comes to mind when I think Moroccan food. Instead of making a salad on the side, I decided to make a spinach and cilantro sauce and cooked the couscous in it. The colors were amazing- the orangish red chicken against the light green couscous was beautiful. The taste wasn’t so shabby either.
We all enjoyed the chicken with the couscous and some red wine- yes I am drinking wine- just on the weekends for now and Friday is part of the weekend. I do plan to incorporate wine back into the week but since I am doing a cleanse, I feel I should detox and stay away from it for a while. I digress- the evening was very enjoyable and delicious!
- 2 tablespoons white whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large white onion, sliced thin
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon schug (hot red pepper mix)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Toss the flour and salt with the chicken in a bag to coat. Heat a non-stick skillet with the olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides, about 4 minutes each. Transfer to a plate.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Add cinnamon, ginger, cumin, schug and salt. Add the tomato, honey, raisins, chickpeas and chicken. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Sprinkle the almonds and cilantro. Serve with couscous.
Spinach Cilantro Couscous
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 green onion
Blend the spinach, cilantro, garlic and onion with some water until a smooth paste is formed. Keep aside.
- 1 cup whole wheat couscous
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup spinach paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Heat a medium sized saucepan and add the oil. Add the spinach paste and saute for a minutes on medium high heat. Add the chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil and add the couscous and place the lid and turn the heat off. Fluff the couscous in 5 minutes once it is cooked.
Halibut with Zucchini and Spinach Hash
This is a very healthy meal- perfect for the New year, more fish eating plan. I had halibut filets in my freezer which I decided to thaw and cook for dinner.
I had zucchini and spinach in the fridge and was not sure what to do with them. I am trying to cut back on the starch so I decided to do just a few potatoes on the side- to satisfy my starchy part of the appetite.
I diced the zucchini and sauteed it on a high heat. Once the pieces were golden brown, I added the spinach. The garlic and salt made the hash really tasty.
This is such a simple meal- didn’t take very long and it was very satisfying. I broiled the halibut simply with salt, pepper and olive oil- thats it- and it was delicious. Any fish can be used for this meal- use your favorite one or which ever one is on sale that day.
I gave my daughter and her friend the fish and zucchini hash. They ate it- well, they promised me they would earlier that evening when they cajoled me into having dinner together. That is also when I told them what I was serving for dinner- and they agreed very quickly… Well, once I placed the dinner in front of them- the look on their faces was priceless. Sia’s friend proceeded to tell me how she doesn’t like spinach. I looked at her very nicely and informed her how she promised me she will eat whatever I give her as long as she could join us for dinner.
They both ate everything, quietly.. I couldn’t help laughing (to myself). It is so nice have such a good friend and so sweet to see how the two girls wanted to spend time together regardless of what they had to eat to do so. It is all about good friends and good food…
- 10 oz bag of baby spinach
- 2 small zucchini, chopped in small pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
In a non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the zucchini pieces. Saute on high heat till golden brown- about 5-6 minutes. Add salt, garlic and baby spinach. Saute on high till the spinach wilts. Taste for seasonings. Serve with the fish.
- 3-4 fillets Alaskan halibut (4-5 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Drizzle the oil with salt and pepper all over the fish pieces. Broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes on each side or till the fish is done.
- 3-4 potatoes, sliced into ¼ inch
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to the potato slices and broil till golden brown and soft- about 15 minutes.
Tangy Potatoes and Spinach
This is a very quick and yummy side dish. I had leftover potatoes- perfect for thanksgiving time- everyone has leftover potatoes. I love when I am able to come up with something completely different with a leftover ingredient. I happen to have baby spinach in my fridge as well- although frozen spinach can be used as well. This is one of those pantry dishes I love making- there are not that many ingredients in this dish. One ingredient that may not be as readily available is aamchoor. It is essentially powdered dried mango- it had a great tang to it. If you can’t find it, lemon juice can be substituted instead. Although the aamchoor flavor is quite distinctive.
As I mentioned above, this would be a great dish to make after thanksgiving. It would also be a great side dish for the turkey dinner. In fact this will be perfect with any meat entree through the week- since it is so quick and easy to make.
I will be cooking and keeping an eye out for recipes from now till Thanksgiving- to give you ideas for the big turkey dinner. Did I mention it’s my favorite time of year? It really is- I start by collecting all my favorite cooking magazines for November and coming up with a menu for the big dinner. As I do that, I will share it with you all and would love if you would do the same. I would love to know what you all cook and love about Thanksgiving.
Broccoli Rabe and Spinach Pesto with Pan Seared Flounder
Our favorite local restaurant is Arturos. We go there at least once a week if not more. My daughter loves their mushroom and olive pizza; mushroom ravioli and the boar ragu. The food is delicious and best of all it’s a byo- and we sure do bring our own wine! Arturos has a tasting menu every Saturday which is very good but a little pricey. Usually on Fridays Dan, the owner has some of the components ready for the next day- and if you are lucky- you get to taste some of them.
We got lucky one Friday when it was not too crowded (which is a rare occurrence now) and Dan was there. We asked him if he had anything special for us to eat in addition to the menu items. He brought us a few delicious things, one of which was a pasta covered with broccoli rabe pesto. When I heard the description, I was immediately excited since broccoli rabe is one of my favorite vegetables- I love the bitter taste and the earthiness of it. Once I tasted the pasta, I was in heaven- it was out of this world. It had a delicate taste of the broccoli rabe with a dash of cheese and salt (I asked for the ingredients).
I knew I had to make this soon at home- and I did. I bought a fresh bunch of broccoli rabe and I also had some baby spinach at home. I decided to use both and experiment with a pesto similar to what I had at Arturos. I was going to serve with a whole-wheat pasta and some pan seared flounder.
I processed the broccoli rabe and spinach leaves with olive oil and salt. I cooked it gently with some pine nuts and finished it off with a dusting of pecorino romano- okay it was more than a dusting- and it was unbelievably delicious. I simply pan seared the fish and the dinner was done. My husband and daughter loved it but couldn’t understand why I was so excited about it. I am not sure either- I guess great food made simple makes me really really happy!
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A Homemade Pizza Recipe with Store Bought Dough- Plain and White with Spinach
Pizza is a staple in our house. I remember when my daughter, Sia was about two years and change- she was quite picky. She had no problem eating mushy food and didn’t want any texture at all. I slowly got her into the habit of eating adult food- pizza played a big roll in the process. We ran into our neighbors with their daughters around that time at a local pizzeria. Sia saw them eating pizza with olives- and that is what started her love of pizza- with olives! She must have eaten cups and cups of olives in the last four years. The people working at the place knew as soon as we walked in- a slice of olive pizza for Sia with a cup of olives on the side. I even looked up the nutritional value for olives- not too much. Since then, she has graduated to mushroom pizza. She loves it! She is very particular about the mushrooms though- turns out some places use canned mushrooms and they taste very different than the fresh ones. Well, she only likes the fresh ones- so we stick to our favorite pizzeria, Arturos.
I am always trying to make things she likes at home healthier so I don’t feel guilty about giving them to her more often. We have tried many different ways of making pizza at home over the years but nothing has been very delicious and authentic. What I like about making pizza at home is that I can control all the ingredients. I use my basic marinara sauce for the pizza sauce. I usually buy low-fat mozzarella cheese- although in this case I couldn’t find any so I used full fat- but I didn’t use too much of it.
I was making two pizzas that day- a plain one for the kids and a white one with spinach for the adults. I made the marinara sauce the morning of and kept it aside. I bought shredded low moisture mozzarella cheese to make my life easier. The plain one was quite simple to put together. I did add some olive oil to the crust before cooking it on the grill. The oil gives the dough a nice sheen and a crusty top. For the white one I mixed ricotta cheese with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. I added garlic powder and salt to season the cheese sauce. I sautéed frozen, chopped spinach with fresh garlic for extra flavor. Both adults and kids enjoyed the pizzas. I made a nectarine salad for the adults- the recipe will be up tomorrow. I served the apricot kuchen as dessert and of course some wine- we ended up opening two bottles!
To read more about pizza making at home, please read my post in New York Times blog, The Local. It will be out Wednesday, June 24th.
A One-Pot Kid Friendly Recipe: Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage and Spinach
I am very proud of this dish. A friend was coming over with her kids and the initial plan was to order pizza and a salad and have some wine while the kids enjoy playing outside. I decided not to order in since kids eat pizza all the time- but the question was- what can I cook that would be appropriate for the kids as well as the adults??? My daughter is always asking me to make macaroni and cheese- the one from the box- and I do make it for her, I buy the healthy kind but it is still processed and that really bothers me. I try to make mac n cheese from scratch but am trying to get her out of out of the habit and don’t end up making it very often. I thought this would be a good opportunity to make it for her since her friends were coming over. I wanted to make a one-pot meal and didnt’ want to worry about serving vegetables on the side. I decided to make the regular cheese sauce for the dish and used the elbow pasta to make it look like the authentic macaroni and cheese. I chopped up chicken sausage and sauteed it with garlic and the frozen spinach. I then added the cooked pasta and poured the sauce and baked it. I made a salad for us grown ups as well as some garlic bread. Initially the kids were not happy to see the baked dish with the green stuff in it- but once they tasted it- I didn’t hear a peep. I think when they heard chocolate cupcakes were coming up next, they finished the pasta really quick- but seriously- they liked it!
My friend and I enjoyed the pasta and the salad with a great bottle of a Malbec Rose. We finished the entire bottle- well almost- I saved a few sips for my husband.
Overall I was very happy with the dish- everyone is searching for recipes of one-pot meals that are kid friendly as well as good for the adults. I will definitely making this one again- who knows maybe I will change it around a bit to get another new recipe!!
Sia and her friends enjoying the pasta in the backyard….
