spinach Archives - Page 3 of 3

Individual Spinach Frittatas

March 6, 2012 ·

We often enjoy frittatas as a healthy, high-protein meal with lots of vegetables and cheese. While I typically make them in a pie plate and serve in wedges, I thought these individual frittatas would be a cute way to mix things up. Who knew when cooked in a small, preheated ramekin, the frittata would take on new heights – literally! I looked through the oven window only to see my cute little frittatas puffing up like a souffle. All without the beating of egg whites. How about that!

The recipe below is written to serve one, but can very easily be multiplied to serve 2 or 4 or however many you desire. Parmesan or Gruyere are both delicious in this, as is mixing up the herbs and seasonings. The original recipe used 8-ounce ramekins but I used 7-ounce ramekins and they worked fine.

Individual Spinach Frittatas

This frittata puffs up like a souffle, which makes for an impressive presentation. While this recipe is written 'for one' it can easily be multiplied to serve more.

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

1 egg
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons grated aged cheese, such as Gruyere, divided
1 tablespoon skim milk
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ shallot, minced
1½ cups fresh baby spinach
¼ teaspoon dried oregano (or your favorite herb mix)
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Instructions

Place 7 (or 8)-ounce ramekin on rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
While oven is heating, in a large bowl, whisk egg, egg whites, 1 tablespoon cheese, milk, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until softened (2 to 3 minutes). Add spinach and cook until wilted (about 3 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Add spinach mixture to egg mixture.
Remove baking sheet from oven and coat each dish with cooking spray. Immediately pour egg mixture into dish and top with remaining 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until frittata is puffed up and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Everyday Food Light

Filed Under: breakfast, gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: brunch, cheese, dinner, easy, eggs, spinach

Easy Spinach & Cheese Lasagna

November 17, 2011 ·

While working on clearing out the cupboards in advance of our upcoming move, I found myself faced with 3 boxes of lasagna noodles. How did that happen! At least it is something I am happy to use, unlike the random can of soup that I have been avoiding. In lieu of my usual lasagna recipes, which tend to be a bit more labor intensive, I decided to go with something easy and quick to prepare. This Easy Spinach and Cheese Lasagna is exactly that…and so good!

This lasagna is first simplified by not boiling the noodles. I used no-boil noodles, but have used regular noodles in the past and they have worked just fine. Another step is saved by using a good quality pasta sauce from a jar. A from scratch sauce would of course be fabulous, but we’re going for easy here. Mix the filling, layer it up with the sauce and noodles, add water, and pop the pan in the oven. In a little over an hour, you have an easy, healthy, delicious meal. This lasagna makes plenty for serving guests, or you can enjoy some great leftovers!

Easy Spinach and Cheese Lasagna
Yields 6-8 servings

15 ounces low fat ricotta cheese
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (divided)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen spinach, thawed, chopped and drained well
3-4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (25-ounce) jar pasta sauce
9 to 12 no-boil uncooked lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×13 inch non-reactive baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Paremsan, egg, spinach salt, pepper and Italian herb seasoning.
In another bowl, combine the remaining mozzarella and Paremsan cheese. This is for the topping, so set aside.
Pour 1 cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Top with a layer of noodles and then a layer of the ricotta-spinach mixture. Repeat with another layer of noodles and ricotta-spinach mixture. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Pour 1 cup water around the edges of pan.
Cover very tightly with non-stick foil (or foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray). Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Let stand, uncovered, for 15 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Whole Foods

Filed Under: healthy, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, easy, entertaining, italian, lasagna, quick, spinach, tomato, vegetable

Vegetable and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

October 19, 2011 ·

Back when I was working outside the home, I brought my lunch every day. I usually brought a peanut butter sandwich, pizza or leftovers from dinner the previous night. Occasionally I brought an organic microwavable meal. While not an ideal option, I could prounounce all of the ingredients, it was quick and convenient. It was also pretty tasty too. One of my more recent favorites was Black Bean Tortilla Casserole.

I don’t have much of a need for microwaveable meals these days now that I stay at home with Adam. So when I saw a recipe for Mushroom and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole, I was pretty excited to recreate the convenience food I enjoyed and make it a healthier option.

The original recipe looked like it could use a little sprucing up, so I added spinach, onion, used more garlic and changed up the spices. I love the additional vegetables in this dish. It’s a lighter and healthier option, and is also quick and easy to prepare. Leftovers reheat nicely…which I guess sort of makes it a microwavable meal, only better!

Vegetable and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole
Yields 6 servings
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 corn tortillas, warmed and halved
2 cups salsa
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until browned (about 7 minutes).
Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and chili powder, stir for 1 minute.
Add black beans and spinach and stir to combine. Cook until beans are warmed through (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat.
Arrange 5 tortilla halves in baking dish. Top with half of the bean mixture and 1/2 cup salsa, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of bean mixture, salsa and cheese. Top with remaining tortilla halves, salsa and cheese.
Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes or until center is hot and cheese melts. Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbling, 5 minutes OR if your dish is broiler-safe, put under the broiler until cheese is bubbling and browned.

Adapted from Everyday Food, January/February, 2011

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: beans, black beans, casserole, corn, dinner, lasagna, Mexican, mushrooms, spinach, tortilla, vegetable

Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone

October 7, 2011 ·

Years ago, I aspired to make risotto for the first time. But I hesitated, because it was a little intimidating and seemed quite difficult. Coincidentially, around the same time, I happened to catch a cooking show about risotto. The chef explained step-by-step how to make it and alleviated any uncertainty I had. Armed with a recipe from Cooking Light, I was bound and determined to perfect the art of making risotto!

Fortunately, risotto was just as easy to make as the professionals on television led me to believe. Years later, we are still enjoying that same recipe, however since then I have incorporated a few changes to the original recipe. I swapped oregano for thyme, added lots of fresh spinach and used vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian dish.

While we enjoy this risotto as a vegetarian entree, it of course makes for a wonderful side dish. Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone is a household favorite, suitable for company, and a definite crowd pleaser.

Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone

Ingredients

1½ cups boiling water
½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
14 ounces vegetable broth
Cooking spray
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (or other short-grain rice)
¾ cup chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup white wine
¼ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¼ cup (1 ounce) mascarpone cheese
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Combine boiling water and mushrooms; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain through colander over a bowl. Reserve 1¼ cups soaking liquid, and chop mushrooms.
In a small sauce pan, bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer (do not boil), keeping mixture warm over low heat.
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add rice, shallots and garlic; saute 5 minutes, or until the rice gets browned and toasted.
Add wine and cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).
Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed (about 5 minutes); stirring frequently.
Add remaining broth mixture ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently, until each portion of the broth mixture is nearly absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).
Remove pan from heat. Add mushrooms, cheeses, oregano, spinach, salt and pepper, stirring gently until combined and cheese melts. Serve warm.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4 servings

Adapted from Cooking Light

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, sides Tagged With: cheese, cooking light, dinner, italian, light, mascarpone, mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, rice, risotto, spinach

Tortellini Soup with Chunky Tomatoes and Spinach

September 20, 2011 ·

(Photos updated 2/23/2012)

As the weather turns cooler, we find ourselves gravitating toward soups, chili, baked pasta, all of those warm comfort foods. I have had a vision for this tortellini soup for quite a while, but simply have not had an opportunity to execute it. Until now…

Filled with healthy vegetables and hearty tortellini, Tortellini Soup with Chunky Tomatoes and Spinach is the perfect comfort food for a crisp fall day, or any day for that matter. And guess what? It can be made in under 30 minutes! Had I realized that, this soup would have been made long ago.

I put a range of 4 to 6 cups for the broth, so you can adjust to your preference. I like my soup on the chunkier side, so 4 cups of broth yielded the perfect consistency for me. I also used frozen spinach, which worked really well. I recommend using both low sodium broth and tomatoes, so you can control the sodium by adding salt to taste.

As a great weeknight dinner, or a quick any time meal, we are looking forward to enjoying this soup all fall/winter long, and I hope you will too!

Tortellini Soup with Chunky Tomatoes and Spinach

Yields: 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 can (14.5 ounces) low sodium diced tomatoes, including juices
9-10 ounces tortellini (fresh or frozen), any variety
1½ teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
10 ounces fresh or frozen spinach, chopped (if frozen, thaw and squeeze out excess moisture)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
¼ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion for 5-7 minutes, or until translucent. Add garlic, and saute for 1 minute.
Add broth and tomatoes. Turn heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.
Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.
Within the last minute of cooking the tortellini, stir in Italian herb seasoning, crushed red pepper and spinach. Taste, and add salt and pepper seasoning, as desired.
Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with Parmesan cheese.

Adapted from Food Network

Filed Under: Featured, healthy, Recipes, soup, vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, easy, pasta, quick, spinach, tomato

Vegetable Quichetata with Roasted Garlic Hummus and Goat Cheese

August 31, 2011 ·

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Sabra, I was invited to create an original recipe suitable for a cocktail party using Sabra hummus. My head has been swirling with several tasty ideas ever since, and I am very excited to share with you my creation!

We all know the basic difference between a crustless quiche and a frittata. A crustless quiche is made with milk (or cream or half & half) and mixed with your veggies/meats. A frittata is made with no milk and with whatever mix-ins you want to use.

Well, when you use hummus, but no milk, is the hummus a substitute for the milk, or is it considered a mix-in? The answer wasn’t quite clear, so I married the two, and the ‘Quichetata’ was born!

In this variation of a Quichetata, I used Sabra’s Roasted Garlic hummus, spinach, roasted red pepper and goat cheese. It is amazing how well you can really taste the hummus, which is good and garlicky, and balances nicely with flavors of the goat cheese and vegetables. The result is fabulous. Made in a mini-muffin pan, these Quichetatas are the perfect hot h’ors d’oeuvres for your next cocktail party, holiday party, open house or brunch.

Hummus Quichetata
Yields 24 mini-muffin-size quichetatas

8 large eggs
6 tablespoons Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese, plus additional for topping
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 12-cup mini muffin pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and hummus together until combined. Add roasted red pepper, spinach and goat cheese, whisking until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
Distribute egg mixture evenly among mini muffin cups (cups will be full). Sprinkle additional goat cheese over each cup.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until eggs are set. Serve immediately.

Disclaimer: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I was given Sabra’s hummus for free. The details of my experience are exclusively my opinion, and I was not otherwise influenced or compensated.

Filed Under: appetizers, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: easy, eggs, frittata, goat cheese, hummus, quiche, spinach, tastemaker

Mushroom and Spinach Frittata with Smoked Gouda

August 17, 2011 ·

On Monday, I shared with you a summery dessert that uses 4 egg yolks. I also promised you a healthy way to use up those remaining egg whites. A promise is a promise! This Mushroom Spinach Frittata with Smoked Gouda uses exactly 4 egg whites. How is that for even-steven!

Now I’m not normally a ‘smoked’ fan, but smoked gouda is truly the perfect complement to the earthy mushrooms in this frittata. The spinach gives beautiful color and flavor to the dish as well. From the original recipe, I increased the onion and added garlic. To compensate for these additions, I increased the olive oil by 1 teaspoon.

The result is a delicious protein-packed veggie-filled dish that is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a light dinner served with a side salad (saving room for Lime Tart for dessert, of course).

Mushroom and Spinach Frittata with Smoked Gouda

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups packed baby spinach leaves
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
½ cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, divided
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook 2 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until tender (approximately 5 minutes). Add spinach, cover and cook until wilted (1 minute).
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, ¼ cup cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture to egg mixture, mix well.
Pour mixture into cake pan and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese.
Bake 30 minutes or until eggs have set. Cut into 4 wedges and serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1/4 frittata)

Calories = 177 ~ Fat = 9.6g ~ Carbs = 8.8g ~ Fiber = 1.5g ~ Protein = 13.5g

Adapted from Health Magazine, March 2007

Filed Under: breakfast, gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, eggs, frittata, mushrooms, spinach

Radicchio, Spinach, Apricot Salad with Goat Cheese

June 17, 2011 ·

My husband and I are creatures of habit. We have a salad with dinner (almost) every night. It’s usually spinach or mixed greens and tomatoes with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds. It’s simple. It’s tasty. It’s routine.

So when I had leftover goat cheese from the Tomato and Leek Frittata with Goat Cheese, I wanted to shake our routine up a bit. Radicchio, Spinach, Apricot Salad with Goat Cheese became a welcome change from our usual salad. The creamy goat cheese with the bitter radicchio with the sweet apricots is a combination that is simply a-ma-zing!

Since I had mixed greens on hand, I decided to use that in place of the spinach. This salad is equally delicious using just spinach. I reduced the amount of the oil in the vinaigrette, which is nice and light and just pulls everything together. Soaking the apricots is an excellent method to plump up the fruit into soft juicy bursts of sweetness.

Have a Happy Father’s Day weekend!

Radicchio, Spinach, Apricot Salad with Goat Cheese

Yields 4 servings

1/2 cup dried apricots

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse salt and pepper

1 head radicchio, halved, cored and roughly torn

5 ounces fresh spinach or mixed greens

2 ounces soft crumbled goat cheese

Place apricots in a small bowl and cover with boiling water; let stand for about 5 minutes. Drain and pat try with paper towels. Cut into small pieces, if desired.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
Add spinach and radicchio to bowl with vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add apricots. Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese.

Adapted from Everyday Food (November, 2007)