Wilted Spinach Salad

This dish is more an idea than a recipe, and it holds countless variations. All amounts are "to taste."

spinach
brown rice
cheese to crumble
salad dressing
sesame seeds

Half fill large soup bowls with cleaned, stemmed, torn spinach. Make a hollow in the spinach to receive the rice. Sprinkle crumbled cheese onto the spinach bed. Sharp tasting cheeses like cheddar, feta, or roquette work well. Meanwhile cook enough brown rice to satisfy the people being served. Put the hot rice into the spinach hollow, top with more cheese and your favorite tangy, vinegary salad dressing. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. The hot rice melts the cheese, wilts the spinach and creates a steamy melange.

For a bacon lover's version, cook a few slices of bacon until crisp. Crumble onto the rice. Make a dressing by adding vinegar, a little dry mustard,a little honey, salt, and pepper to the hot bacon grease. Whisk with a fork and drizzle over the salad.

From: Ibby Gemmill

Pamela's Fresh Pea Soup

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 small head of lettuce, shredded
a hand full of fresh spinach
1 tbsp chopped parsley
5 cups fresh young shelling peas
5 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 tsps sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 cup milk
fresh mint sprigs

Heat butter and oil in pot, add garlic, sauté. Add lettuce, spinach, and parley, cook and stir until vegetables wilt. Add peas and 3 cups of stock. Cover pot, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In food processor, process in batches until coarsely processed. Return to pot, add remaining stock, and bring to boil. Add rice, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes. Add sugar, salt, pepper, mint, and milk. Heat slowly, stirring until soup is hot. Do not boil. Garnish with mint sprigs. Makes about 7 cups.

 From Shepherd's Garden Seed Catalog

Mushroom, Snow Pea, and Spinach Salad

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
1 tsp minced fresh tarragon or 1/2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
1 1/4 lb snow peas, strings removed
1 bunch spinach, stemmed
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 large radishes, thinly sliced

Whisk oil, vinegar, tarragon and mustard in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring large pot of salted water to boil, add snow peas, blanche for 45 seconds. Drain, run peas under cold water, drain again. Combine peas, spinach, mushrooms, and radishes in large bowl. Toss salad with dressing to lightly coat. Serve remaining dressing on the side. 6 servings.

From: Bon Appetit, 1991

Green Sauce

1 tsp olive oil
2 cups greens
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 mushrooms, white or wild, chopped
1/2 cup lowfat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

Saute garlic and mushrooms in oil until soft. Add greens and cook until just wilted. Add ricotta cheese and heat over low flame until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in mozzarella cheese and serve over pasta.

From: shareholder Becky Pins who says it's for spinach but we think it can be used with any cooking green

Green Jade Soup

4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
6 cups vegetable stock
1 ½ tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1 ½ cups thinly sliced carrot rounds
2 cups chopped bok choy
1 ½ cups thinly sliced leeks or onions
4 cups firmly packed chopped spinach
1 cake tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes
salt
chopped green onions
several drops dark sesame oil (optional)

Soak shiitake mushrooms with boiling water in heatproof bowl 10 minutes. Bring stock to boil in large soup pot. Add ginger, leeks/onions, bok choy, and carrots. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Drain mushrooms and add soaking liquid to soup. Thinly slice shiitake caps and stir into soup with spinach and tofu, cook 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle with green onions and optional sesame oil. 6 servings.

From: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Greek Spinach Frittata

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium potato, cut into quarters and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cups chopped, rinsed, stemmed spinach
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated feta or Swiss Cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the potato and onion--covered, stirring frequently--for about 8 minutes, until they are tender and golden. Add spinach. When the spinach wilts, stir in the dill, salt if needed, and pepper. Pour the eggs over the vegetables, tilting the pan to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle on the cheese. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, until the eggs are set and golden on the bottom.

To brown the top of the frittata: If your skillet is flameproof, simply place the frittata under a preheated broiler for about 2 minutes. Otherwise, carefully slide the frittata onto a plate and then flip it over, back into the skillet, to brown the other side. To serve, cut the frittata in half. Serves 2.

From: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Asian Style Spinach Salad

1 pound fresh spinach (1 large bunch) washed and stems trimmed

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup choppped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup peanut oil

Place spinach leaves in a large salad bowl. Thoroughly combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add oil in a steady stream, processing until well blended. Toss dressing with spinach, garnish with mint leaves and/or peanuts and serve. Serves 4.

From: More Recipes from Kitchen Garden

Green Gratin

Dressing
2 1/2 cups leftover/pre-cooked brown rice
1 cup chopped spinach
4 ounces firm organic tofu, crumbled
10 olives (optional)
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/3 cup pine nuts or almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup shredded Manchego cheese (or Parm, or Gruyere)
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F. Rack in the top third. In a large bowl combine the rice, spinach, and tofu. Now, reserving a bit of each for garnish, stir in the olives, and red onion, pine nuts and olive oil. Now stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, and salt. Fold the eggs into the rice mixture, pour into an oiled 10 inch baking dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole is set, and the top toasty and golden. Garnish with onion, olives.

Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

Tofu with Thai Curry Sauce

I love this recipe, originally from The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook (2005). I use it with pretty much any vegetables and it never fails me. I add carrots or sweet potatoes, when available. Colored peppers do add a lot of pizazz though, so I usually wait until pepper season. 

Sauce:

1 cup coconut milk

2 - 4 T fresh, chopped cilantro

1 tsp red curry paste

1/2 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Tofu and Veggies:

14 ounces firm or extra firm tofu

2 tsp olive oil

4 cups greens (kale, chard, spinach, tatsoi, arugula, etc)

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, if available

Directions:

Mix sauce ingredients, except cilantro, together in a bowl. 

Drain tofu and pat dry. Cut into 1/2 inch slabs and coarsely pull into pieces. Heat oil on high and toss tofu in until edges are browning. Add sauce ingredients and stir. Add veggies and cook until just soft. If I am adding carrots or sweet potatoes, I add them first and cook for 5 minutes before adding the greens. I add peppers last, as I like them lightly cooked. Throw cilantro on top. Serve with a wedge of lime over rice. 

Green Salad Dressing

 

Ingredients

½ cup plain yogurt (SideHill is our favorite!)
2 Tbsp oil or mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped parsley, basil, arugula, chives, spinach and/or cilantro
1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
¼ tsp salt
a squeeze of garlic

Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor and whirl until smooth. Serve over grain or green salad.