Spinach

5 Ingredient Spinach Parmesan Pasta

serves 4 (adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com)
***our kids liked this pasta recipe, even those who are still learning to like spinach***
– 8 oz. uncooked pasta of your choice
– 3 Tbsp butter
– 2 cloves garlic, minced – or use the garlic scrapes!!
– 5-6 cups packed spinach
– ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Set pasta and water aside.
2. Using the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in the pasta and spinach. Gently toss and cook until spinach leaves are wilted. If the pasta starts to dry out, add in some of the reserved pasta water. Stir in ¼ cup of the parmesan and toss to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
3. Pour pasta in a large bowl. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Alfredo with Fresh Greens

Kim Rosenwinkel shared this recipe along with this note:
“I made this alfredo dish last night to try to get my kids to eat cooked greens. I used beet greens, but I think it would work with any other greens (kale, spinach, etc.) The greens were plentiful, but adequately disguised so everybody ate it (hee hee!).”

1 lb cooked spaghetti
1 1⁄2 cup 1% cottage cheese (fat free doesn’t melt right)
1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. olive oil
about 6 garlic scapes, finely chopped
about 6 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
a hefty bunch of fresh herbs to make 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup finely chopped (packed) (I was out so I used about 1 1⁄2 Tablespoons dried)
1 large bunch of fresh greens, finely chopped

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Add scapes and onions; sauté until aromatic. Add herbs; stir and sauté until soft. Add greens; sauté until wilted and done the way you like them. For my kids, I cooked them down as much as possible; I would normally like a little more body.

Meanwhile, blend the cottage cheese in a blender until creamy and consistent. Add Parmesan cheese to cottage cheese. Add cheese mixture to vegetable skillet. Cook on low heat until cheese melts.

Cook and drain pasta. Add pasta to cheese and vegetable mixture and toss. Serve hot. Watch with glee as the kids eat their greens!

Cooked Greens with Raisins & Nuts

This is a wonderfully tasty way to use your greens!

1 lb or so of fresh greens – you could use the spinach, broccoli raab, or Red Russian Kale
or a combination. You’ll just want to make sure and remove
the large stems from any of them

¼ cup olive oil
3-4 Garlic scapes – or 1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup pine nuts or sliced almonds
¼ cup raisins – soaked for 10 minutes in warm water
Salt & Pepper to taste

Steam greens until tender – 5 minutes or so depending on the greens. When they have cooled a bit, squeeze out the water and chop.

Heat the olive oil and either sauté the scapes until tender or the minced garlic until it’s golden.

Add greens and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Drain the raisins and add them along with the nuts to the greens. Cook over medium head for a few minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Feta Spinach Pizza

serves 2-3 as a main dish (Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home; 1994)
Pizza Crust Options:
– 6 pita bread halves (6-inch size), 1 loaf French bread (16-20 inches long), or 1 pre-baked pizza shell (15 inch size) Topping:
– 10 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– 1⁄2 cup chopped scallions
– 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (1 tsp dried)
– 1 cup crumbled or grated feta cheese
– 1 cup ricotta cheese
– dash of fresh ground black pepper
– Optional: 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced or 6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Directions:
1. Preheat oven according to directions for the pizza crust you are using.
2. Saute the spinach in the oil on high heat for several minutes until just wilted. Drain the cooked spinach in a colander or sieve, and press out any excess moisture with the back of a large serving spoon. In a large bowl, combine spinach, scallions, feta, and ricotta. Add a dash of pepper.
3. Spread the spianch-feta topping on the pizza crust and top with the sliced tomatoes if desired. Bake according to the directions for the crust you are using.

Fussilli with Spinach and Asiago Cheese

sent along by Mary Mitchell
1 lb fussilli pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove (I used the scapes)
9 oz of fresh spinach roughly chopped
8 oz (1/2 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup grated Asiago
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.
Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 more minutes.  Add the cooked pasta and toss.  Add the cheeses, salt, pepper and the pasta cooking liquid and stir to combine.

I had this one (above) the first vegie night and Joseph and I really enjoyed it.

Naomi’s Salad Dressing

Naomi Jackson brought this salad dressing to our spring work day and I asked her if she share it. She did with this note: “Here’s the salad dressing recipe, but it’s really approximate because I never measure. 1 tablespoon is my best guess for ‘1 blurp.’”

1 cup olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup tamari, depending on your taste
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon each of lemon juice, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and rice vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 Spring Hill garlic clove, crushed

Stir well before serving (however you normally handle vinaigrettes).

You can vary the vinegars, depending on your taste and what you have in the refrigerator. Also, if you’re using (heaven forbid!) store-bought garlic you would need as much as a whole clove, because they are so much smaller. You could probably use soy sauce instead of tamari, but I never have so I don’t know how it would affect the taste.

Quick Sauteed Spinach

2 lb. spinach
¼ cup or less, olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & Pepper
Break up spinach if large. Heat oil in large skillet. Add spinach a bit at a time as it’s wilting. Add garlic & salt and pepper.
OPTIONS: Substitute sesame oil, add toasted pine nuts, sauteed red onion, add lemon juice or balsamic vinegar and a little butter at end.

Risotto with Greens

No greens will be wasted! If you are not sure how to use your greens, make this for dinner! Double the recipe!

1 small onion, finely chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 c. risotto, uncooked
1/2-3/4 lb. fresh greens, trimmed and torn (spinach, collards, kale, chard, mustards, turnip greens, beet greens, etc.)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14-1/2 oz.) cans chicken or vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Sauté onion in olive oil in a small stock pan. Add risotto and sauté until golden. Add greens and garlic; sauté until greens are wilted. Stir in broth slowly (one can at a time). Cook, covered, on low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add black pepper, stirring well. Add cheese, if desired, and blend well before serving.

Spinach, Apple & Walnut Salad

4 c. torn fresh spinach leaves
1 apple, unpeeled and bite sized pieces and tossed with 1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. toasted coarsely chopped walnuts
Mix salad ingredients together and add the following dressing: 1/4 c. vegetable oil 2-3 tbsp. fruit flavored wine vinegar Salt and freshly ground pepper to tast

Spring Green Risotto

from Kari Kleven
2 T. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 T. minced garlic
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
3 T. snipped fresh chives
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesean cheese

1. Heat oil in heavy saucepan, add onion and garlic and cook over low heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add
rice, sitr, and cook another 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in another saucepan. Reduce heat and keep it at a simmer.
3. Slowly add 1 cup of the hot stock to the rice, stirring constantly. (I just stir once in awhile.) When
the stock has been absorbed, add 1/2 cup and allow it to simmer, stirring well until it has been
absorbed.
4. Add the spinach, chives, and thyme. Continue cooking, adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring
often, until the rice is slightly creamy and just tender. Altogether the rice should cook for 25-30 minutes.
5. Stir in salt and pepper and Parmesean.

Makes 4 portions.

Steamed Orange Spinach

1 lb. fresh spinach
3 T. orange rind
Juice of ½ orange
¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts
Steam and wash spinach, shaking off excess water. Place spinach, orange rind and orange juice in large skillet or work over high heat. Toss spinach until just tender. Toss with pine nuts. Serve.