Spinach Gruyere Fondue

It's been way too long since I have updated Spinach Blog with a new recipe. Sorry guys. This does not mean that I have run out of spinach recipes...it just means I've been so busy cooking new spinach recipes, that I haven't had the time to post any on here!

That being said, I am not entirely sure if spinach "belongs" in fondue...but anything (involving spinach) is possible. And even though I was lacking a mini crock pot or fondue burner, this spinach + Gruyere cheese fondue was a hit.

You Will Need:

1. 1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine

2. pinch of ground nutmeg

3. a few cloves

4. 1 cup fresh or frozen spinach leaves (packed)

5. tsp. flour (or corn starch)

6. Cheddar + Gruyere cheese (I used between half to one pound of Trader Joe's Cheddar + Gruyere Mélange)

7. Some potato slices, bread, and/or fruit slices for dipping

In a pot on medium heat, simmer white wine. In the mean time, shred or thinly slice the cheese. In a bowl, mix together cheese with flour or cornstarch so the cheese is all coated. When coated with flour/cornstarch, gradually add in the cheese to wine and mix until smooth. If needed, you can add in more flour or cornstarch to make it more uniform and smooth.

When all is smooth, add in the spinach leaves, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of crushed cloves.  Stir until spices are integrated and spinach wilts.

Serve with toasted bread, potato slices, apples and fruit, veggies, meat skewers...or anything you think pairs well with cheese. It's best to serve in mini crock pot or fondue pot -- otherwise, eat fast (it's not hard).

Enjoy,

A + D

Tuna Spinach Pasta Salad

This was the result of hunger + lack of groceries. But with not much more than the very basics (canned tuna and pasta...) it's possible to make a fairly tasty meal.

You Will Need:

1. Two cups Rigatoni pasta

2. One 5oz can tuna

3. Two tbsp. Parmesan cheese

4. One cup frozen spinach

5. One (or two) tbsp. mayo

6. Two tbsp. mustard

7. Pinch of garlic (or garlic powder)

8. Salt + Pepper to taste

First, boil the Rigatoni for around 10 minutes. In the meantime, cook the frozen spinach. If you use pre-chopped spinach, you can skip the chopping part. I used whole spinach leaves so I had to cut them up myself and cook in frying pan with a pinch of garlic. Let the garlic brown a bit before adding the spinach to pan-fry. When fully cooked, remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl, add in the tuna, mayo, spinach, mustard and Parmesan. Gently fold together a bit. When the pasta is done boiling, add pasta to the mix and fold together. Add salt + pepper to taste. You can either serve warm or let cool in the fridge for a half hour to an hour. Either way is yum.

Enjoy!

A + D

Crab Ricotta + Spinach Stuffed Shells

This recipe is my own spinach spin off of something similar I saw on the food network once. It is a baked pasta dish with a mild but yum flavor and stuffed with crab (for those of you into seafood). I used canned crab meat but if you enjoy the finer things in life, you can substitute that with any higher quality sea food you like. To make this vegetarian, just add in extra ricotta or additional cheese instead of crab.

You Will Need:

1. Two cups ricotta cheese

2. Two cups milk

3. Two tbs. butter

4. Two (generous) cups of fresh cut leaf or chopped spinach

5. Twelve oz. (2 cans) of lump or white crab meat

6. One cup shredded cheese blend -- I used a premixed bag of mozerella, provolone, parmesan, asiago, romano + fontina

7. Half a box (6-8 oz) of jumbo shells

8. One-two tsp. flour

9. Garlic powder -- to taste

10. Onion powder -- to taste

11. Salt + pepper -- to taste

First, boil a pot of water for your shells. You want to boil the shells al dente (around 7 minutes) so they're not mushy. You can add a bit of oil + salt so they don't stick + for flavor. While they're boiling, chop up your spinach.

Gently fold the spinach, ricotta and crab meat together in a bowl. Add salt + pepper to taste. When the shells are done, drain them and spread them out onto a lightly greased baking dish. Stuff equal parts ricotta mixture into each shell (will be about a tbs. per shell).

For the cream sauce, first heat the butter on medium heat and add in the flour for a thickener. When the flour cooks, sprinkle in some garlic + onion powder to boost the flavor. Then add in  the milk + cheese. Stir all together until uniform and creamy and remove from the heat.

Pour the cream sauce evenly over the stuffed shells and bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. When done baking, all there's left to do is enjoy :)

- A + D