Spinach Feta Pocket Pies
Awhile back I made these Chicken Pocket Pies and they were fabulous. The dough worked out perfectly, angels sang, and we left nothing but pie dust in the kitchen. Remember?
I've been "trying" to bring spinach back into Cooper's diet so I thought these Spinach Feta Pocket Pies might do the trick! Plus this momma loves spanakopita, and these are pretty similar (except they're made with cream cheese pastry instead of phillo dough).
I whipped up the pastry dough the night before using light cream cheese instead of full fat. I am soo happy to report that it tastes just fine! A bullet has been dodged, people. We can have a tasty lower fat pie crust and eat it too!
The spinach pockets were super. I was delighted every time I got a chunk of feta in a bite. Next time I am going to add a little more cheese to the filling. Oh man do I love feta! The pies totally satisfied my spanakopita cravings!
Apple Celery Spinach Juice
Another green juice under my belt. This one was amazing!
The sweetness of the apples balances out any bitterness that comes from the celery and spinach.
Honestly, the spinach was barely noticeable in the taste, but look how much green I got out of it!
I was surprised at the amount of juice that was produced with these simple ingredients:
Polenta with Sausage, Mushrooms & Spinach
Hey!
Remember that Breakfast Polenta I made the other morning? Well I decided to make some for dinner a few nights ago!
Fried Egg with Mushrooms & Spinach
Today I got my first produce CSA delivery from Planet Organics! So far, I am happy with the experience although my bill is not what it should have been...Must clear that up!
Spiced Rubbed Salmon with Chickpea Salad
So tonight might be the night we officially say goodbye to summer round these parts. As we sat down to eat, a cool breeze hit us and leaves fell all over the back deck. At one point I contemplated getting a sweater, but I decided to savor this one last time eating outside at night.
Although, this is the Bay Area and we are known for our Indian Summers...so maybe this might be a lil premature. Either way, autumn is coming and I am super excited to start hibernating and make some comfort food!
To celebrate a beautiful day, I made a Sweet & Spicy Rubbed Salmon with a Chickpea Spinach Salad with a Cumin Dressing.
The orange dressing was PERFECT on top of the salmon.
I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate! Soo healthy, refreshing & tasty. I am looking forward to leftovers tomorrow! I bet it will taste even better.
Salmon with Sweet & Spice Rub
(recipe Ellie Krieger- The Food You Crave)
-Cooking spray -2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar -1 tablespoon chili powder -1 teaspoon ground cumin -1/8 teaspoon salt -1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - 6- 5 ounce salmon fillets, skin & bones removed - 1 tablespoon olive oilDirections:
Coat your grill with cooking spray and preaheat over medium heat. While the grill is heating, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin salt & pepper. Brush each salmon filet with 1/2 teaspoon of oil then rub each fillet evenly with the spice mixture.
Grill salmon, flesh side down, until charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the salmon and cook for 5-6 minutes for medium doneness. Transfer to platter and serve immediately.
Chickpea Spinach Salad with Cumin Dressing
(Recipe Ellie Krieger- The Food You Crave)
-1 15 oz. cans chickpeas drained & rinsed -2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley -1/4 cup diced red onions -2 tablespoons olive oil -2 tablespoons lemon juice -1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest -3/4 teaspoon ground cumin -Pinch cayenne pepper -Salt & Pepper to taste -3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt -1 tablespoon orange juice -1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest -1/4 teaspoon honey -2 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves -1 tablespoon chopped fresh mintDirections:
In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, parsley, & onion. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, lemon zest, cumin, cayenne salt & pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to coat evenly. In another small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange juice, orange zest, and honey.
Serve the chickpea salad over a bed of spinach leaves. Top with the yogurt sauce and garnish with mint.
Mushroom & Spinach Tart with Goat Cheese
Today is a sad day. It is my last day on maternity leave. booo!
To help me through this "rough" time, I decided to treat myself to a special "going away lunch"-if you will.
I had my eye on this recipe for AGES. So I figured I should get my special lunch fix in while I can. Casey isn't too keen on mushrooms so this is all mine baby!
Or maybe I'll share some with the neighbors. That would be the neighborly thing to do.
I have to say that this was pretty easy to complete...Very flaky, hearty and tasty. Totally satisfying on an overcast day like today. I paired a slice with an arugula salad dressed in a honey mustard vinaigrette.
Come on! ANYTHING on top of puff pastry HAS to be good.
Cooper cried a little bit through the endeavor, but I think it's because he REALLY wanted the corner of that puff pastry crust. Someday son!!! I guess that's what momma gets for attempting this sooo close to nap time. The nerve...
Mushroom & Spinach Tart
(recipe via EVERYDAY FOOD)
Ingredients
Serves 4
-Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
-1 (from a 17.3-ounce package) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions
-1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-Coarse salt and ground pepper
-2 packages (10 ounces each) white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
-1 packages (10 ounces) fresh baby spinach
-2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score dough to form a 1-inch border. Using a fork, prick dough inside the border every 1/2 inch. Bake until golden, rotating pan once, about 15 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, toss onion with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir. Continue cooking with cover on for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat remaining oil. Add mushrooms; cover and cook until tender and all liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Fold in spinach; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes more. Drain any liquid.
4. Top dough with mushroom-spinach mixture. Scatter onion and goat cheese on top. Bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Deceptively Delicious Brownies
I watched a re-run of Oprah the other day while I was working out. Jessica Seinfeld (yes, wife of Jerry) was on her show to promote her cookbook- Deceptively Delicious. Because I have a baby on the way and a husband who doesn't necessarily CHOOSE to eat veggies, I thought I would give her recipe for brownies a try. I thought that if Oprah could go ape-shit on eating a brownie, than there's prolly a good chance that it tastes good.
This afternoon while watching a Red Sox game, I gave one to the sweet-toothed husband.
Casey took a bite (begrudgingly) and was said--"Why do these have spinach & carrots in them?"
I had to explain that it's hard for someone like to me to get good stuff in people like him- and it might be hard for our future spawn.
He ate the first square.
"So this is good for me? Can't I just eat spinach and carrots on there own?" (like he would) He needed a little more explanation why I was making something *deceptively delicious*
And then he asked for another one! I think it wouldn't be something he would necessarily BEG me to make. But if it's there, he no-doubt will eat as many as he could before I got mad. I'd like to eat some too!
The brownies are really moist & chewy. I might add a little more sugar next time....or top it with powdered sugar instead of cocoa powder. They definitely taste healthy, but they do satisfy if you NEED something sweet!
Deceptively Delicious Brownies
Ingredients:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
- 2 cup carrot puree (After peeling and trimming the ends, steam carrots for 10-12 minutes and then puree in a food processor for 2 minutes)
- 2 cup spinach puree (Steam for 30 seconds, then puree in a food processor for 2 minutes)
- 2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
- 4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites
- 4 cup oat flour, or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame. (i used a microwave- melted in 10 second increments till fully melted)
3. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.
Btw- they taste good in the morning with coffee.
Sausage Soup with Spinach & Beans
Favorite Trader Joes Item #7: Sweet Italian Sausage (or any of their sausages for that matter)
Meat is usually what makes my grocery bills sooo high. This package of sausage was only $2.99 for six sausages. We got about 2 1/2 meals out of this soup between my husband and I. Not to shabby!
Here's one of my favorite sausage soups:
This recipe below was inspired by this recipe from Everyday Food
- 1 package (12 ounces) sausage
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 16oz. bag of frozen spinach from trader joe's (item not pictured-sorry!)
- 2 cans Trader Joe's cannellini beans
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 large pinch of red pepper
- 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
- 1 32oz. container of chicken stock
Place chopped onion & mashed garlic in soup pot & sautee in olive oil. Take sausage out of its casings and break off bite sized *meatballs* Add this to onion mixture. Cook sausages on medium heat for about 4 minutes. Your goal is to make sure there's no pink left on the outside of the meat. Now add chicken stock, beans & frozen spinach. Simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes. Make sure there's a very low boil going on. Before you serve, add the red-wine vinegar (it will give it that extra zing!). Season with salt & pepper. Enjoy.
I'm actually eating a bowl of this soup as I write this post. It's really good for a cold autumn afternoon. I recommend making it on a Sunday afternoon while your spouse is watching football. Not only will make your house smell wonderful, you will be sneaking a heaping portion of vegetables into someone else's diet. I like to pair it with crusty pieces of bread and butter...mmmmmmm........ My husband & I like to save the sausage til the end. It's the best part!
Sometimes I use the following Trader Joe's Sausages for this recipe:
Garlic Sausage
Wine & Cheese Sausage
Hot Italian Sausage
(All of them produce a great result)
See closeup if you don't have any meat aversion:
