Karla's Grilled Flank Steak, Arugula & Spinach Pistachio Pesto

Yup. Some more new things are going on here at SpinachBlog. Fridays are test kitchen now. Where we will share our experiences trying other people's spinach. And telling you all about it...

Lucky for me, I was able to spend some time with family in New Jersey last week. And was able to curb my spinach craving...with spinach of course.

We drove down the 45 minute long stretch of one lane highway surrounded by fields, farms, grass, "baby ducks," "fresh eggs," and deer caution signs, and over the tiny 4 ton limit bridge between Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA to visit New Hope and dine at Karla's for (what we didn't know...) was Local's Night. 

Lucky for Spinach Blog...Karla's local's menu had a grilled flank steak, arugula & spinach pistachio pesto -- so naturally, I ordered that one! (Duh). Lucky for all of us, there was live music!

Not only does Karla's provide a delicious spinach pistachio pesto to accompany its steak, it also hooks you up with a salad and dessert that come with your meal. That is awesome. 

First course: Caesar Salad

Second course: Grilled Flank Steak, Arugula & Spinach Pistachio Pesto

Third course: I forget the name...but some kind of Brazilian Custard Cake. Delish!

Overall score? A

Would I recommend this to spinach lovers? Absolutely

Any imperfections? Not really. But if anything, more spinach. Maybe a sprinkle of spinach powder on the mash. But we think that spinach pesto is a great way to pair our favorite green with steak! The punch of pistachio makes it even better!

If you're ever in New Hope, PA...stop by Karla's and try their spinach option! Pretty sure it'll be a win.

-A+D

Potato, Ham + Spinach Soup

For potato soup loving people out there...this one's for you.

This one is also for you who don't use recipes. Because I didn't use exact measurements for the most part. But really...broth, corn, ham, Parmesan, sour cream, potatoes...there's not much room to mess up here. Adding a few teaspoons too much ham won't make a difference. Too much potato? Nah. Too much cheese? Never. Above all...you can never add too much spinach. Too little, perhaps.

The more soupy you want, the more broth. The more creamy you want, the more milk and/or sour cream. The more textured and potatoey (making that a word) you want, the more you should mash up a bit of potatoes and water and pour that in as well. 

Let your inner Ratatouille takeover + run wild and free. 

You will need:

About 1 c. chicken (or veggie) broth

About 1/2 c. white cheddar cheese

About 1.5 to 2 c. milk

Tbs. butter

1 to 2 tbs. sour cream

Tsp. garlic

Parmesan cheese (to taste)

2-3 slices of Honey Baked Ham

Half to 1 c. chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)

1/2 to 1 c. corn

Pinch basil

Parsley

Half small to medium white onion

2-3 potatoes (silly me forgot to include POTATOES in the ingredient picture for potato soup)

Salt + pepper to taste

Add butter to a soup pot on medium heat. Chop up the onion and add in the onion and garlic to pot until onions soften.

While onions are softening, chop up the ham into bits and fry in a pan to crisp.

When onions are ready, stir in a bit of flour (1-2 tsp.) and then pour in milk and broth. Add in the corn and spinach. 

Dice up the potatoes and add to the pot. Stir around and bring to a boil, the lower heat to simmer.

Cut up the cheese and chop the parsley. You may want to save a bit of parsley for garnish/topping later.

After simmering for a few minutes, add in the cheese, crispy ham, basil, and some parsley.

Continue to simmer adding salt and pepper to taste until potatoes soften and the soup reaches the consistency you would like! Serve in tea cups to avoid eating all at once. 

Stay warm in all this rain!

A+D

Tip Tuesday: Diversify Your Greens

This tip is a little difficult for us to admit. But since we care about your health and your sanity...we will spit it out already.

Eating greens (like spinach) is very important. But what is also important is to eat a diverse green diet. We totally get it -- it's so easy to pile on heaps of spinach onto your plate every single day. Spinach is so delicious and so versatile. Why wouldn't you? But as many things as spinach is, and as many ways there are to serve, eat, and enjoy spinach...spinach is only one vegetable. 

Some nights, pile your plate with broccoli. Brussels sprouts. Kale. Bok Choy. Asparagus! That way, spinach will never grow old. (Not that we suspected it ever would...)

-A+D

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza on Garlic + Herb Flatbread

Today is Mumsi's birthday! And to celebrate we threw her a surprise party with surprise pizza style flatbreads -- one with spinach, of course. The other two were yummy as well. But lacked spinach. Hate to be exclusive...but...they just don't belong here.

This is a super easy + yummy pizza ready in less than a half hour.

You will need:

Garlic + herb crusted pizza dough (we use the one from Trader Joe's. You can also add garlic powder and herbs to your favorite plain dough recipe)

Jar of basil pesto

Bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

Few handfuls of fresh baby spinach

Jar (or can) of artichoke hearts

Salt and pepper to taste

First flour the baking sheet and roll out the dough large enough to cover the surface of your baking sheet. Layer a generous spread of pesto around the dough.

Then pile on the spinach and artichokes, salt and pepper, and mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees F. 

And when you serve, use a suitable mat or towel or whatever you use to protect your table from the heat so as to not melt your polyester tablecloth like we did.

We accompanied our spinach and artichoke pizza with a BBQ chicken and corn pizza and a fig jam, walnut, brie and bacon pizza. It was a delicious trio!

Happy Birthday Mumsi!

-A+D

Spinach Caprese Salad with Tomato, Basil & Balsamic Glaze

Caprese salad is pretty good. Spinach is pretty good. So this got us thinking...tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad with spinach? Must simply be even better. Drizzle the plate with your own balsamic vinegar & EVOO glaze, and you've got yourself something delicious. 

This is a great summer salad for raw dieters...you don't have to cook anything. I chose to sear the tomatoes to boost their flavor and to warm the mozzarella a bit to boost its flavor as well. We're all about flavor boosting. You know us...

You will need:

Small carton of grape/cherry tomatoes.

Few big sprigs of fresh basil

About a quarter to half bushel of fresh spinach leaves

About 2-3 oz. fresh mozzarella (we used one flavored with dried tomato + basil)

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt + pepper to taste

First chop it all up! Halve the tomatoes, cut up the mozarella into slivers, slices, or chunks and slice the spinach and basil into long ribbons.

I threw the tomatoes into a hot, high-heat, pan for about a minute or two just to sear them and warm them a bit. If you want a cold salad, don't do this.

Combine the basil and spinach.

Serve the spinach and basil mixture on a plate and top with tomatoes and mozzarella. Get fancy with a spinach accent on top. 

For the glaze, combine a one-to-one ratio of EVOO to balsamic vinegar. 1 tbs of each will probably be enough. If you like salads to be saucy, add in a couple teaspoons of each.

Drizzle the glaze over the salad and serve! Will feed 2 or 3 (in the standard "healthy serving suggestion" portions). 

Remember to share!

-A+D

Food Porn: Spinach Tomato Eggs Benedict

You know what they say (ok, what I say) about food. It's usually even better with an egg. 

Sarah and Tiffany over at Off Beat and Inspired made this delicious looking spinach + tomato eggs benedict. MUST try. They even make a special hollandaise sauce that doesn't have raw egg yolks in it. Raw eggs freaks some people out...so if you're some people...I especially suggest trying this hollandaise! 

Will say no more.

Get the recipe here from Off Beat and Inspired

Follow @OffBeatInspired on Twitter + Facebook + Pinterest

Tell us how it goes.

Photo courtesy of offbeatandinspired.com

Tip Tuesday: Veggies are Good for More Than Food

Those veggies in your shopping cart are more than what's for dinner.

Aside from nutrients, vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, omega-3, and lots of good stuff -- green veggies from the produce aisle are also great sources of rubber bands.

Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Same rule applies to rubber bands and vegetable parts. Save those rubber bands!

If you're at a loss for why you might ever need a rubber band, here are 19 reasons. If 19 isn't convincing, here's 52. 

Reuse. Recycle.

-A+D

Curly Parsley, Mint + Feta Spinach Arugula Salad

If anyone ever tells you that you eat too much feta, discontinue the conversation and walk away. There is no such thing as too much feta and you don't need to associate yourself with fibbers. So crumble feta all over this parsley, mint and spinach salad as much as you want. There will be no judging and no regrets.

You will need:

Baby spinach + arugula blend

Feta Cheese

2 eggs

A few sprigs of mint

A few sprigs of curly parsley

3 slices turkey bacon

Balsamic Greek salad dressing (recipe here)

Boil the eggs whichever way you like them -- I do around 7-8 minutes for a soft (but not runny) inside. Pan fry the bacon. I prefer turkey bacon. But if you're into the real deal, go for it. If you're vegetarian, leave this out or replace with toasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts for that roasted flavor. 

Chop up the parsley and mint.

Crumble the feta. <3

Cut up the eggs into bite sizes.

Cool and cut up the bacon into bits. 

Toss everything into a large mixing bowl.

To make your own Greek inspired balsamic dressing, follow this recipe here. 

Douse your salad in a generous amount of dressing. Toss to mix all of the ingredients. Serve. Enjoy!

-A + D

Link Love: Edible Flower + Spinach Salads

 It's time for some (spinach) link loving.

Give Mom the gift of (edible) flowers this year.

Refresh after a long weekend and celebrate Mom this Sunday with a crisp, colorful, spinach salad embellished with budding garden gems also known as edible flowers. Indulge in purple violet goodness with this Blood Orange Spinach Salad sprinkled with violets from Healthy Green Kitchen (above).

Edible flowers don't always have big taste, though they often do, and they always have big color, vibrancy and are chock full of nutrients! They are the reproductive organs of plants afterall...where plant life all begins.

Add some sweet and spice to Mom's special day with this beautiful spicy carrot quinoa and spinach salad with coconut lime dressing from The Year in Food.

Make use of your garden and tantalize both your eyes and taste buds with this Garden-to-Table Spinach Salad from Eat to Thrive. 

The sunflower sprouts and arugula flowers in this Spring Salad from Vegan and Demanding  will pleasantly surprise your taste buds and introduce your garden to your plate this spring. Mmm. 

So stop eating salad between the lines. The next time you decide to eat salad, get your crayola on and add some dandelion yellow, violet purple, or rose pinks. The next time you decide to buy Mom flowers...put a spinach salad under it. 

Happy Mother's Day!

A + D

Balsamic Greek (Spinach) Salad Dressing

I always love feta cheese. But I eat it in phases. Usually depending on whether or not I have a block of feta in my fridge. And the time it takes me to remember I need to buy more when I run out. I've run out. But when I had a block of feta in my fridge, I made a lot of delicious spinach salads with feta crumbles. And my most recent feta phase prompted me to make a quick batch of Greek inspired (what is usually spinach) salad dressing. 

I used this "Absolutely Fabulous Greek/House Dressing" recipe by Danielle M. from All Recipes as a guide. 

My measurements make enough for two servings about. So just double, triple, quadruple as needed. 

You will need:

2-3 tbs. EVOO

2 tbs. white balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. mustard powder 

1/2 tsp. Italian spices mix

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

This dressing is fairly uninvolved. Just add everything in no particular order in a spare glass jar.

Then cap it, shake it, and enjoy!

-A+D