SlowCooked Peanut and Spinach Tofu

Posted by amanda in easy, peanut butter, recipe, satay, slow cooker, soy sauce, spinach, tofu, vegan, vegetarian

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I've recently added a slow cooker to my kitchen, and it's completely changed the way M and I eat throughout the week. This is our current favourite thing to have on hand. It packs a serious amount of protein, and is a great way to eat spinach.

You'll need:

• a slow cooker/crock pot
• a skillet

• 2 blocks of firm tofu, rinsed and cut into one-inch cubes
• 1/2-1 cup of peanut satay sauce (I like President's Choice Memories of Szechuan)
• 1 cup peanut butter (M likes crunchy best)
• 1/4 cup terriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tbsp minced ginger (mine are heaping)
• 5-10 oz of baby spinach (I put about half a container into cook, and then add fresh spinach to the dish throughout the week, to liven it up without wilting)
• 1/2 cup peanuts, crushed roughly (optional)
• 1-2 tsp chili flakes (optional)

 To make this goodness:

Brown the tofu in the skillet by lightly frying it, using cooking spray or olive oil. Set aside.

In a bowl, stir together everything except the tofu and spinach. Move this sauce to the slow cooker.

Add the tofu, and stir. As the tofu cooks in the sauce, check on it every once in a while to evaluate its consistency. I like my sauce fairly thick, but if you like it thin, add a little more water until you reach your desired sauciness. Because you won't lose any water in the cooker, what you see is what you will pretty much get, though it will of course thicken a little through cooking, and will pull together nicely.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

At 3.5 hours (or half an hour before you turn it off), add your spinach, mixing it in gently. The goal is for the spinach to wilt, but not get too icky.

Serve hot, and don't be afraid to add more spinach ALWAYS MORE SPINACH!

xo
A

 

Springy Grapefruit Salad

Posted by amanda in cheese, easy, grapefruit, healthy, lemon, salad, spinach

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free your fruit!!...into your belly

Spring is in the air (she said, as it snowed aggressively outside her window)! Or it was this past Family Day weekend anyhoo. A little wishful thinking never hurt, right?

Spring means salad season, and there's nothing I like better than a tasty combo of fruits and veggies, and of course, cheese. Cheese is pretty key.

If you're getting tired of our first spinach/parm salad (but how could you!) - here's a variation on a theme with a little more zing. Also, recent studies have indicated that eating citrus fruits lowers a woman's risk of blood-clot related stroke, so get peeling!

Here's an easy, healthy, tasty salad for 4:

You're going to need:

8oz (250g) of baby salad. Wash it.
Half a cup of Parmesan flakes (shredded or flaked, not ground or whatever...if you have a block of it, use a veggie peeler for speed's sake. You can also buy it flaked, as per the petals in the earlier recipe).
1 grapefruit (I prefer red) peeled and segmented.

Toss (more like mix) these ingredients with you hands in a large bowl for ideal distribution onto 4 plates or into bowls.

Dressing: In a small bowl mix....

Juice of half a lemon (or roughly 1.5-2 tbsp)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
chopped chives to taste (you're going to sprinkle this over the salad, so a large tbsp or two would do, unless you really want to up the chivey-ness)
fresh ground pepper

For a little protein consider toasting some slivered almonds and tossing them in there. Raisins might also be yummy. Flax seeds if you're feeling ambitious, though they would probably be best mixed into your dressing, or else they'll sink to the bottom.

Dress your salad and enjoy!!

Spinach Pear and Parmesan Salad with Balsamic Mustard Dressing

Posted by amanda in budget, cheese, dressing, easy, recipe, salad, spinach, vegetarian

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This salad is really easy, and could be made really beautiful with a little careful pear-placement. I tend to go right in for chaotic salads, but you could make something quite pretty out of this one.

For the dressing, whisk together

3 parts olive oil

1 part balsamic vinegar

.5 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 tsp brown sugar

a dash of salt

(These are my preferred ratios, and probably makes enough for two servings, however give it a shot and adjust to meet your own needs and tastes)

Drizzle this over
2 bartlett pears, sliced very thin, length-wise (one per person)
1.5-2.5 cups baby spinach per person

Once dressed, toss in half a cup of freshly grated parmesan (though not pictured here, shaved parmesan "petals" make for a sharper, more assertive parmesan presence that is super delicious. Saputo Parmesan Petals are my flowery cheese source of choice!).

Serve immediately

Cottage Component 1: Picnic-Perfect Summer Salad

Posted by amanda in budget, celery, cucumber, dill, dressing, easy, feta, healthy, onion, pasta, pasta salad, pepper, quick, recipe, salad, spinach, tomato, vegetarian, yellow pepper

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It's summer tiiiimmmme and the cooking is eeeeaasy here at Stute-kitchen :) Team Stute has returned from a fantastic weekend away at a cottage with good friends, gorgeous weather, and GREAT food. Combining our forces we came up with a delicious cottage-time lunch: pasta salad and barbecued skewers. Fresh ingredients and a new spin on these old classics takes traditional summer food to a new level of goodness.

You're gonna need:

• Roughly 2 generous cups of uncooked shell (conchiglie) pasta
• One yellow pepper, seeded and cut into slim chunks (or however you like your pepper in a salad), if you go really chunky, use 2 peppers
• Half a cucumber, sliced into half circles
• 2-3 stalks of celery, diced roughly
• 1 pint (usually a container) of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 of a sweet onion (though any kind would likely do, this salad gets more onion-y the longer it exists, so choose wisely), finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 3-5 generous handfuls of baby spinach (mixed greens will do in a pinch, but they don't keep as long once the dressing is mixed in).

Dressing: Whisk together...

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 heaping  tbsps Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
Ground Black Pepper to taste

Topper:

Roughly 1.5 cups of light feta cheese -though really, add as much or a little as you like - , rinsed, dried, and crumbled (my new technique is to rinse the block from the brine, and then squeeze the liquid out in my fist, over the sink - this dries and crumbles simultaneously, then you can just brush your hands off in the salad)

To assemble:

1. Cook the pasta (roughly 8-10 minutes to get it al dente), rinse in cold water, and set aside.

2. Combine all your veggies, except the spinach, in a large bowl, using your hands to mix gently, being
sure to distribute the dill.

3. Add pasta to veggies, again, stirring with hands.

4. Add spinach by handful, assessing how much or how little you will want personally. Mix with hands (this avoids breaking the pasta shells)

5. Pour dressing over pasta and veggies (if you don't like getting oily, use a utensil here, but I swear, hands is the way to go)

6. Chill.
7. Crumble feta into salad before serving. Mix.

This makes roughly 10 servings, depending on the appetites in the room. Be sure to wait 20 minutes or so before hitting the lake!!!
-A

How to turn "no food" into a comfort food dinner

Posted by amanda in beans, easy, healthy, quick, recipe, spinach, vegetarian, yogurt

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Well the end of the semester is upon me. That boatload of essays and tests, not to mention the planning of our upcoming trip to Amsterdam in May, has really taken a cut from my buying-food-dressing-it-up-and-eating-it-time. Not to mention that the playoffs started last night, and for reasons I still don't understand, this means I will be glued to the set for a few hours most nights, already shirking my other responsibilities, not to mention my belly.

So, out of a despair-inertia-hunger cocktail, last night, I put the three things in my kitchen together to make a surprisingly not embarrassing dinner, an iron and protein packed staple that may have made its way into my heart for good.

For two meal-sized servings, in all of 5-6 minutes, you will need;

• 1 can chili-style beans (Heinz) - however, it is my firm belief that kidney beans with a little seasoning of your choice would cut it too, or even white beans fried in garlic, though that would more closely resemble an earlier post.
• a few generous handfuls (4-5) of fresh spinach, prefereably baby, cleaned 
• A dollop of cold, plain yogurt. My favorite is Astro's balkan style.
• optional garlic for frying (may be more relevant if you don't have the seasoned beans already)
• Enough olive oil to go once around your pan.
• Above mentioned frying pan/skillet

Go for it:

• Heat the olive oil in your skillet, at medium heat.
• Toss in your beans (rinsed and seasones, unless you are using the chili style beans); heat until almost sizzling. Try not to mush them too much.
• Lay a thick layer of fresh spinach over the hot beans.
• Allow the spinach to wilt enough to turn it over, into the bean mix so it's under some hot beans.
• Repeat with a new layer of spinach, twice, or until all your spinach is used up.
• Remove from the heat. I like to leave my last batch of spinach more still a bit fresh, to vary the texture.
• Split your total into 2 servings. If you are saving one for another day, let it cool before sticking it in the refrigerator, though I do recommend putting it in tupperware speedily so the beans don't get stuck to your pan. That serving can be microwaved later, or tossed back into a skillet to heat. Serve what you are eating in a bowl.
• Drop a large dollop of plain yogurt into the middle of your beans; salt the yogurt slightly if you like.

No need to let cool, because the yogurt will do this for you.

And voila! Iron, protein, probiotics, calcium, and innumerable other health necessities, in a really hearty couch-worthy dinner (just make sure you don't spill any!)

4 Simple Ingredients + 4 Easy Steps = Fantastic Healthy Salad!

Posted by CK in healthy, potato, recipe, spinach, vegetarian

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Did you ever wonder if Popeye only ate his spinach straight from the can, or did Olive sometimes cook for him? Well, if she did put on an apron and had a short 20 minutes to spare, I'm sure that this recipe would've been a winner!

I had never thought of mixing potatos and spinach together, until I came across this potato and spinach salad  recipe (the link is odd as you can't link to this particular recipe, you actually have to look for it). It is absolutely fantastic! Great to fill you up for lunch/supper but also great if you're invited to a potluck and you've got a case of I-don't-have-time-to-make-something-but-I-have-to-bring-something. You can bring the ingredients over and take 20 minutes to make it! :)

To make a salad that serves 3 somewhat good portions, GET:

• 3 large Russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup of spinach (defrosted)
• 2 teaspoons mayo
• 1 squirt of mustard

1. If you have time, boil your potatoes until soft. I cleaned them first then microwaved them for about 15 minutes because I didn't have time to boil them.
2. Defrost your spinach in the microwave
3. While your spinach is defrosting, cut your potatoes into cubes (or whatever shape you like them in), I like to leave the skin on, but do whatever your heart desires.
4. Mix your potatoes, spinach, mayo and mustard.
5. THAT'S IT!

It turned out succulent and a little sweet too! It's quite fantastic! :)

Enjoy!

-CK

Spinach Pies

Posted by CK in eggs, healthy, lebanese, mushroom, recipe, spinach, vegetarian

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Growing up in a Lebanese family, there's always ALOT of food going around and alot of recipes passed on from generation to generation. One of my favorite things growing up in this environment were the small appetizers (that us kids ultimately ate as meals because they are so filling!). The spinach pies were particular because they never tasted the same from one person to another, although my aunts all used the same recipe.

In light of this, I've decided to try my own version of the spinach pies. I asked one of my aunts for her dough recipe (because she ultimately makes the best dough) and I made changes to a spinach filling recipe I found online. Take note that this recipe takes a while the first time (it took me about 2.5 hours all in all, including the time for the dough to rise - about 1.5 hours).

Let's start!

Make the dough:
- 1 1/4 cups of warm water (the recipe says about 43 degrees C, I gauged it according to how long I could keep my finger in the water - about 10 seconds).
- 1 tablespoon of yeast (not having any yeast, I used 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 lemon juice)
- 3 1/4 cups of all purpose flour (I used half and half flour)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- a pinch of sugar

1. Pour 1/4 of the water in a bowl. add the yeast (or mix of baking soda and lemon juice) and let it rest for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, cover the bowl and let it rest for 5 to 6 minutes in a warm area.
2. Mix the flour and the salt in a large bowl. dig a hole and add the yeast mixture. Add the rest of the water and the oil and mix with your hands.
3. Once your ingredients are well mixed, make a big ball with the dough and transfer it on a floured surface. Knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough becomes elastic and smooth.
4. Put the ball of dough in an oiled bowl (make sure the whole ball is covered in oil) and cover. Let it rise in a warm location for about 2 hours (I left it for 1.5 hours).

Spinach stuffing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- about 300g of frozen spinach
- 1 scallion
- half a cup of brick cheese (or whatever cheese you feel might be appropriate for your recipe)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
- mushrooms (I cut up about 3 large ones in tiny pieces, but you can add as many as you want)

1. Defrost your spinach in the microwave for about 6 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive in a saute pan and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 more minute. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place in a bowl. Add the onion/mushroom mixture, scallion, cheese, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Putting it all together:

1. Once you feel like your dough has risen enough (after about 1.5 hours), take it out and make small balls with them. I split my dough in 12 pieces (yes, it did make for large pieces but it was quite filling).
2. Take each piece and roll them out into approximately 12cm diameter circles.
3. Take each of those circles and place them in a muffin pan to create a small bowl. put the spinach stuffing inside and fold the sides to close the pie and create a star (you can make these in any shape you want, the common shape is a triangle)
4. Put in the oven for about half an hour, until the dough becomes a little golden. You don't want to leave it in for too long or else the dough will be too hard.

You can also make these on a cookie pan and give them whatever shape you want. I don't have a cookie pan so I had to improvise with what I had. They turned out to be amazing and they are nutricious and delicious for afternoon snacks! :)

Enjoy!

-CK

Rachel Ray's White Beans and Spinach Side Dish

Posted by amanda in beans, budget, healthy, recipe, side, spinach, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian

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Ok, so dear Rachel serves this as a side, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I've both eaten and served it as a main dish because it is so freaking delicious, and FAST. Moreover, I bet you didn't think you'd ever hear the words "spinach" and "comfort food" in the same sentence. Well, you just did. Did I mention this whole dish should cost you about 3$ if you already have nutmeg and olive oil on hand? Well, it will.

For a healthy, filling, and totally comfy side to any meal (she recommends chicken - I say eat this somewhere between breakfast and desert):

You'll need:

• A can of white beans, rinsed and drained.
• As much spinach as you intend to eat in four servings, usually, a whole package of frozen spinach (500g) or a bag of spinach as sold in grocery stores. Really though, the proportion of beans to spinach depends on how much you love spinach. I fall into the "a lot" category. Adjust accordingly - this recipe might change your mind anyways. Spinach can be frozen and thawed, or fresh; baby spinach works wonderfully.
• Sliced garlic (about 2 cloves, minced is also fine)
• 2 tsp-tbsp olive oil
• 2 healthy tbsps of nutmeg (Rachel asks for less than this, but I've found that particularly when using frozen spinach, more is advisable)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, and lightly fry the garlic on medium heat until golden.

Add beans and heat, stirring gently, for about 2-3 m.inutes.

Add fresh or thawed frozen spinach to pan and mix; about 5 minutes or until wilted or heated through.

Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Serve warm. Or cold. Or on pasta, rice, with tofu, or couscous. Or all the time. With everything.

Health note: White beans are rich in soluble fibre, and can help lower your cholesterol and your blood pressure. They're an excellent source of protein, and are rich in magnesium, which humans diets are increasingly deficient in. They are also a good source of iron (never mind all that spinach you just ate), and are recommended for people with a history of diabetes.

Speaking of spinach, remember that many nutrition experts recommend taking in some vitamin C with a vegetable iron source to absorb it more completely. Spinach, thankfully, is high in vitamin C, along with other important elements like calcium, Vitamin K, fiber and carotenoids.

Happy eating!

-A

Image from The Well-Seasoned Cook

Recipe derived (but adjusted) from Rachel Ray's excellent book Express Lane Meals

Chunky Healthy Hearty: Fresh Mediterranean Tomato, Spinach and Lentil Soup

Posted by amanda in healthy, lemon, mediterranean, recipe, soup, spinach, vegetarian

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In my first summer of vegetarianism I quickly realized how hard it is to get a good canned soup that fulfills all the needs I was speedily coming to understand as a veggie newbie: how do you keep vegetables from getting boring? How do you keep homemade soup from coming out stringy or too salty? The answer on that fateful day was lemon lemon lemon. And spinach. And a giant pot.

This soup is incredibly inexpensive to make, lasts for days, and only gets better the longer it sits in your fridge. Besides what's listed here you can throw in basically any vegetable you've got on hand, which for me is usually carrots (throw them in first). I've tossed in precooked chunks of potato in the past too (only to heat them if they're well cooked), to great avail. I almost always double this recipe. Your house will smell sooooo good I promise.

You're gonna need:

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp (5 mL) dried basil leaves

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each dried oregano and thyme leaves

Pinch each dried rosemary leaves, crumbled, and pepper

My pinches are more like small handfuls to be honest

3 cups (750 mL) vegetable stock

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes, including juice

1 can (19 oz/540 mL) lentils.

DRAINED AND RINSED PEOPLE, DRAINED AND RINSED. Nobody likes Lentil juice.

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3 cups (750 mL) fresh baby spinach leaves

Of course you can use frozen, but it's just not the same. Frozen spinach will break up more easily and does taste a little bit different

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Optional, but highly recommended if you can get the good stuff

Have on hand:

Large (and I mean large) soup pot/saucepan, preferably with handles for leverage when you stir this baby - the soup's really chunky so it can take a little muscle and you don't want this all over your kitchen floor (believe me).

Go to!:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in seasonings, vegetable stock, tomatoes, lentils and lemon juice.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Stir in spinach leaves until wilted, about 30 seconds, really not much longer. Serve with Parmesan, if desired. Grate lemon zest as garnish if you're into that and love the lemon.

Makes 8 cups (2 L), 4 servings.

Bonus!

Tomato Tip: If you have canned whole tomatoes rather than diced, an easy way to cut them up is using kitchen shears. Pour tomato liquid into soup (to avoid messy overflow) and cut tomatoes in the can.

Nutritional Info

Per Serving: 280 cal, 20 g protein, 6 g fat, 42 g carb, 10 g fibre, 1265 mg sodium. Excellent source vit A, vit C, folate, niacin, thiamin, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. Very high source dietary fibre (take note!)

Calories : 280 (AMAZING)

photo from: www.treehugger.com