Starbucks Likes Spinach, Too

Caught Starbucks in the act of spinach loving. 

#NoShame

Spinach on,

~D

Tip Tuesday: We're Not the Only Spinach Lovers

If you're spending time on Spinach Blog, then my guess is you enjoy spinach.

If you enjoy spinach, then my other guess is you're an intelligent individual...who may already be aware of this Tip Tuesday tidbit. Though...it's a pretty cute one. So be warned.

We humans aren't the only ones who enjoy this tastey leafy green! It just so happens, that guinea pigs also love spinach and other veggies. This here is Eugene. The one guinea pig who, perhaps, loves spinach as much as we do. 

So next time you're eating a plate of fresh green spinach in front of one these cute critters...don't be a hog...instead, be a guinea pig, and share some with your fuzzy friend!

Spinach on,

~D

Spinach Blog T-Shirts to Celebrate Spinach Day 2015! Order Yours Today for $20

Spinach on!

A GINORMOUS THANK YOU TO THE TALENTED, ARTFUL, SAVVY (AND SPINACH LOVING) GIRAFFIC-DESIGNER SHIRA KRESCH FOR MAKING THESE SHIRTS SO SPINACHERIFIC. 

Tip Tuesday: Build Your Salad-on-the-Go...Upside Down

My friends, take everything you know and love about your salad lunches that you pack everyday for work -- and flip them on their head.

This may seem backwards to you...but that is the point. When making your salad in it's tupperware, put the toppings on the bottom. Salad (preferable spinach) at the top. That way, when you dump your salad into your bowl at work, you don't have toppings topped with salad, you have salad topped with toppings.t

Start with the wet ingredients first. Dressing, rice, beans, fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds...and then the leaves. This way, your spinach won't get wilted or soggy.

Demonstration: 

#Genius

Enjoy!

-D

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Shell Pasta with Bacon Bits and Parmesan Cheese

If you like pasta, cheese, and/or bacon (I'm not going to even ponder whether or not you like spinach...), then you'll like this pasta. Like all spinach recipes, there are no precise measurements. Because the only measurement that matters is 'lots'. As in, lots of spinach, lots of pasta and lots of cheese. Everything else is secondary and will come naturally.

Cheese recipes can never be vegan. But this recipe can easily be vegetarian if you substitute bacon bits with toasted pine nuts. Or toasted bread crumbs. Anything crumbly and delicious will do.

You will need:

Pasta shells

Few handfuls of spinach

Couple tbs. butter

Broth (chicken or veggie)

Milk

Fresh garlic

Artichoke hearts

Monterey Jack Cheese

Half red onion

Parmesan Cheese

Cayenne Pepper

Salt & Pepper

Flour

Prep the things that need to be prepped -- dice up the half onion and a couple cloves of garlic. 

Brown the garlic in a pan with some butter along with the onions. 

Stir in the spinach and artichokes. Now's a good time to boil the pasta, too. If you need, add a bit more butter and then sprinkle in a pinch or two of flour. Maybe a tsp. or two. Mix until blended with the butter.

When the spinach wilts a bit and you have room in your pan, pour in about equal parts of broth and milk. If you prefer more creamy, than more milk. (Or use cream rather than milk). If you prefer more saucy, then less milk. Mix in the cheeses (About one part cheese, one part milk). You can of course add as much cheese as you want...but sharp parmesan goes a long way.

Fold in salt, pepper, and some cayenne for a little spicy kick. If you don't like spicy, stay away from cayenne. 

Let the cheese sauce simmer and mix until the pasta is done. Drain your noodles.

When the cheese is all melted and you have a cheesy, spinachy sauce, then pour the sauce over the pasta and mix. It's kind of like sophisticated mac and cheese. 

Ta da. 

To serve...scoop a hefty helping on a plate, sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese and some bacon bits. Butterfly plate optional. Then enjoy!

-D

5 Ways with Spinach the Mighty Flu Fighter

Photo courtesy of Aloha

5 Ways to Eat More Spinach to Boost Immunity and Fight the Flu

So if you haven't heard - spinach is pretty darn good for you. (Don't believe me? Just watch.) The problem with spinach is sometimes it's not ALWAYS there for us. Maybe we eat it so fast that Sunday comes and we realize...there is no more spinach in the fridge. Or sometimes, maybe you'd like to make a fresh spinach salad and realize all you have left in your spinachery (like a winery, but with spinach) is a cube of frozen chopped. Or perhaps, you accidentally quadrupled the ingredients and have subsequently been eating the same Spinach Tuna Noodle Casserole leftovers for too many days to count and the thought of eating spinach again is just too much to bear.

Whatever your case, sometimes we forget - or simply don't have the means - to eat as much spinach as we would like. The caveat? That spinach is great for you and your immunity, and the winter is a great time to catch colds and unwanted germs when your immunity is weak. And spinach is a great tool for all around bodyhealth boosting. Immunity included.

If you're not convinced, check out these Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat More Spinach here.

Bottom line is - if you aren't already - consider doing the following to eat as much spinach as you possibly can! Because every time you don't eat spinach (in any of its great spinach forms) you're missing out on a health boosting, flu fighting opportunity. And that is a shame.

1 // Add Spinach to Your Favorite Smoothie

If the thought of drinking green things is appalling to you - you likely have a Sam-I-Am complex (think Green Eggs and Ham). Just because a smoothie is green doesn't mean it tastes bad. Stick to a smaller ratio at first, maybe 4 parts your favorite fruits and yogurt to one part spinach. Then work your way up. You'll still get your fruity sweet fill, while downing a few good spoonfuls of spinach. If you'd rather not throw in hand fulls of spinach into your smoothie blender (as my uncle has done in the image above) then try, perhaps, a powder. A coworker of mine has been using Aloha lately and loves it...I'm waiting for mine to come in the mail! It's a green powder infused with spinach and a long list of fortifying botanicals, herbs, and veggies (I recommend signing up for the free trial here).

2 // Toss a Handful of Spinach into Your Favorite Pasta + Sauce

Think about this one. There is a simple trick to transforming pasta (everybody loves pasta) into a slightly healthier bite. Add vegetables to it. Like this creamy cheese ravioli with shrimp and spinach. Then you're eating pasta...and vegetables. Preferably spinach. If you're feeling even sneakier...then indulge in some green spinach pasta, with pasta dough made and colored with real spinach. Your insides will be delighted. And so will your pasta craving.

3 // Sprinkle Spinach Powder Into Desserts

Replace up to 1/4 cup of flour with spinach powder (or...even your favorite green powder) in bread + baked good recipes. The same goes for CHOCOLATE (spinach brownies anyone?). Similarly to pasta, one great way to make chocolatey desserts a little less unhealthy, and therefore, more healthy, is to infuse them with spinach powder. Bet it will taste just as great...and no one will ever suspect.

4 // Spinach + Soup = Match Made in (Veggie) Heaven

Making soup? Turn that into making spinach (insert name of original soup you were going to make here) soup. Add in a few handfuls of fresh spinach, dried spinach, spinach powder, frozen spinach, adult spinach, baby spinach - any kind of spinach - into your soup pot. You'll get more flavor, more superfood boosting properties, and as a result, more bang for your soup. I suggest this Broccoli Cheddar Spinach Soup.

Photo courtesy of aloha.com

5 // Eat Warm Salads

Plain old spinach (or mixed greens - perhaps spinach and arugula?) is the obvious answer here. If you're all about salad lunch breaks at work, or salad for dinner (or salad for breakfast? Why not...), then this is a no brainer...add spinach to your salad. However, the number one complaint I ever hear about salads in the winter is that they are cold. And winter is cold. And it is so much easier to opt for the warm creamy (and fatty) pasta or, I don't know...maybe the rich Lobster Bisque from Hilton Road Cafe that I've had too many times because it's too good to resist.......where was I? Oh yes, sometimes it is hard to opt for the healthy cold salad when it is so cold outside. However, my friends, cold salads are not the only salads and not all salads are created...cold.

Let me introduce you to the warm salad. Chock full of veggies (like spinach) but warm! Perhaps with warm wilted greens or even dressed with warm vinagrette or a hot dijon dressing. Or, simmered in a warm simple mix of coconut oil, garlic, and onions like this Green and Lean Superfood Saute.  Eat more warm salads. Eat more warm spinach. And reap the superfood, immunity and health boosting benefits of my favorite leafy green. Whether you add whole spinach leaves, or spinach powder, to your winter recipes (speaking of Aloha, they have some other great healthy spinach recipe ideas) - it makes for a great health boost in harsh winters.

What are your favorite ways to eat spinach in the winter? I pretty much like anyway. As long as it involved spinach.

Spinach on,

-D

Spinach Saag Paneer from Jaffron in New Hope, Pennsylvania

Saag Paneer from Jaffron

This week I've been hanging around the East Coast. Whenever I venture back home to the NY tri-state area, there is always a few pit stops I make a point to visit while I'm over here.

One of them is New Hope, PA. It feels like a fairly isolate town--miles and miles of cows, stretches of farmlands, and rivers away. But the drive to New Hope is so pretty, and worth spending the additional 10 or 15 minutes taking the scenic route rather than the highways. There's a lot of interesting shops around new hope -- you can buy clothes or get your palms read. 

Most importantly, there are ample opportunities to eat spinach.

We decided to get spinach (along with chicken korma and sizzling salmon) at Jaffron--a small Indian restaurant tucked away a bit off of the main street. Glad we went! 

Photo courtesy of bucks.happeningmag.com

The Interior

At Jaffron, there's enough to go around.

There were six of us in total sitting at my table, and all of us agreed that the food was delicious. It is very filling and served in large family style bowls, so you can definitely share! Be prepared to be very full if you decide to stop in Jaffron the next time you're in town...it's easy to loose track of how much spinach you're eating when it's so tasty.

Spinach on,

-D

Food Porn: Five Ingredient One Pot Spinach Mushroom Spaghetti

Whenever I find good one pot meal recipes...I feel like a hoarding thief if I don't share them. 

I found this one on Kids Activities Blog  -- 'Kids Activities' because this recipe is so easy that a child can do it. And it only has 5 ingredients. So there's a big chance you already have all of these ingredients lying in your fridge, especially if you're a spinach, pasta, or mushroom lover. 

Don't tell spinach I said so, but if you don't already have spinach in your fridge, other greens or herbs could taste yummy here as well. Flat leaf parsley or rosemary sprigs perhaps? 

To get the 5 ingredient one pot recipe, check out the Kids Activities Blog here.

And be sure to follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest! 

Tell us how it goes,

A+D

Tip Tuesday: Sprinkle Sesame Seeds in Your Diet Wherever You Can.

Seseme seeds are small but pack a big punch of deliciousness and health benefits. So to sum up this tip, you should eat them more.

This tip is basic.

Add sesame seeds wherever you can. To bread, to sauce, to salads, to meat. Sesames have seen it all and have tasted bad with (very likely) none. You can't go wrong!

If you don't believe me, check out this list of 20 health benefits of sesame seeds and you'' be asking where these seeds have been all your life!

-Spinach on

Grilled Veggie Sandwich from Hilton Road Cafe, Ferndale

This is no boring veggie sandwich.

It is a montage of goodness, rather. With tomatoes, cheese, grilled onions, broccoli, mushrooms and most importantly: fresh spinach.

This veggie sandwich is a vegetarian's tried and true alternative to the regular soups or salads--which are great. Just sometimes you crave variety...and on those days...a grilled veggie sandwich from Hilton Road Cafe in Ferndale, Michigan, is your best bet!

Enjoy,

-D

Cranberry Pomegranate Vinaigrette

 

This is a simple vinaigrette dressing for savory salads that could use a bit of sweet! Inspired by another vinaigrette recipe that my cousin found in a Bon Appetit magazine...this is a very simplified and in some ways, cheating, version. I think the key here is honey as well as something fruity. It goes VERY well with tomatoes...and spinach (duh).

You will need:

A few spoon fulls of dried cranberries

2 tbs honey

2 tbs pomegranate vinegar (this one is from Trader Joe's)

2-3 tbs EVOO (or regular olive oil)

Depending on how much (spinach) salad you're making...you can add more or less tablespoons. Basically it is equal parts everything. Then if you'd like it more sweet or tangy you can add more honey or pomegranate vinegar. 

We're thinking this would also be good on sliced cucumbers...mmm.

Spinach on,

A+D

Tip Tuesday: Nasturtiums, the Super Edible Flower

Nasturtiums are edible flowers that come in the color of the rainbow. They are beautiful and tasty on salads and great because you can literally eat the entire plant!

Bet you probably guessed the tip already...you're right. Eat this.

Eat them by themselves. Tossed with fresh spicy arugula, lettuce, and spinach. Tossed with dressing and chopped veggies. As a cake or cupcake topper. Do whatever edible madness your heart desires. Nasturtiums will only ever make it better. Better tasting. Better looking.

We found them at a salad mixing stand at Eastern Market, Detroit. But surely, they can be found for sale in more places than Detroit Market.

Enjoy!

-A+D

Food Porn: Smashed Potatoes with Spinach, Cheese and Crushed Pepper

Had to share these Smashed Potatoes with spinach, cheese and crushed peppers by Miryam from over at Eat Good For Life blog. They are vegetarian and gluten free! 

These look delish! You could also try adding a bit of artichoke hearts for a finger-friendlier version of these spinach artichoke smashed potatoes I've made before.

Be sure to follow Miryam on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest for more healthy, vegetarian and gluten free make-at-home options.

Enjoy!

-D

Spinach Affairs Run in the Family

When I last visited my dad I was first surprised, and then quickly not surprised anymore after realizing "well, I am his daughter..." because I opened his fridge and this is what I found:

DUN  DUN  DUN....spinach.

Not only did he have two big bags of spinach...he was also making spaghetti sauce and asked me to add spinach to it.

And then when I added a good amount of spinach to the pot, he told me to add more spinach. 

This was the ultimate paternity test. He passed. And more importantly, the spinach spaghetti was delicious. Especially considering my dad was born and raised in a country that does not eat pasta. So much so that they think 'mac and cheese' is disgusting. Pretty impressive.

-D

Red Fox Pub Spinach Dip in Royal Oak Michigan

There are many factors that go into good spinach. So sometimes it can be difficult to ID exactly what makes any particular spinach so delicious.

This time, it wasn't so difficult to figure out.

The spinach dip from Red Fox pub in Royal Oak Michigan is good for many reasons that are fairly easy to identify:

1. Because it is perfectly cheesey and zesty and warm and served with these puffy pita crackers that aren't quite bread but aren't quite crackers--just quite yummy.

2. Because it was served around a fire pit that was so fiery hot it actually lit the newspaper table setting on fire. We were quite alarmed, but it didn't distract from the flavor.

3. Because it was served with good friends and other good food.

4. Because we had it served with good beer.

5. Because Einstein got a taste. 

The bar/grill/pub is tucked inside of Diablo's and up the stairs. 

Photo courtesy of detroitrunner.com

We sat outside around the lit fire pit because it was a bit chilly but nice outside--and firepits generally make everything more fun and in this case more tasty.

It didn't take long for the spinach to arrive -- in a hot skillet. It was yum! I'd definitely order it again. 

Fall is basically here, which means if I don't go broke buying myself pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks way too many times a week, I'll likely go broke from buying way too many pumpkin beers and ales. Unfortunately, I don't remember what this one was called. But out of the few I've tried as of late, it was one of my fav!

Red Fox is supposed to be a British style pub with British food. Not sure how British spinach and artichoke dip is. I should know this. But either way--Red Fox British spinach dip is very much worth trying!

If your newspaper placemat lights on fire like ours did, consider it a good sign.

Happy spinach,

-D