Spinach Sauteed with Garlic and Shallots

I needed a side dish for our BBQ tonight and since we had a birthday party today with lots of pizza and cake and ice cream, we needed some healthy sides. I looked in my freezer hoping to find some petite peas, and found only a lonely box of frozen spinach. I'm not a big fan of frozen veggies or canned veggies for that matter. But, I had only frozen spinach and found this recipe to make it wonderful. Thank you Fearless Kitchen. We ate all of it! And I had three servings.

Spinach Sauteed with Garlic and Shallots

1 bag frozen spinach, slightly thawed

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 head garlic, peeled and thinly sliced to form garlic chips

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup water

1. Heat the oil and add the shallots. Saute until the shallots soften.
2. Push the shallots to the sides of the pan and add the garlic to the middle. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the garlic begins to turn golden and fragrant. Don't burn the garlic.
3. Add the salt and spices.
4. Add the frozen spinach. Let it steam up for a minute or so and give a good stir, so that the spinach is liberally distributed with the spices and aromatics.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the water. Clamp the lid down and cook 5 minutes or so, until done.
   

White Beans and Spicy Swiss Chard

Okay this turned out really good! I was inspired by a dear friend of mine over at Cafe Johnsonia when I read this recipe. However, I didn't have chicken. And I wasn't about to make my own beans when I had 30 minutes to whip together dinner while my kids were taking baths.

So I took what I liked and modified the rest. And what I came up with was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. I had one kid eat his entire portion. The other had a very sore arm and decided falling asleep on my lap was a much better idea than eating dinner. And the last, well he's three, so we don't expect much yet.

Ingredients

6 slices of bacon (and the grease for flavor if you'd like)
1/4 cup of white wine
1/2 onion
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 can of cannellini beans
1 can of tomatoes diced
red pepper flakes (a couple shakes)
1 bunch of swiss chard (stems removed)
chicken stock

Cook the bacon and then remove the slices and chop into small pieces. Pour the excess fat into a bowl and and add later at the end if you want more bacon flavor.

Pour the wine into the pot to deglaze the pan. Sautee the onions for 5-10 minutes. Add garlic.

Dump in beans and tomatoes. Throw in the red pepper to kick up the spice. About now is when I start adding a little chicken stock as the juices evaporate. Add the chard about 5 -8 minutes before you are reading to serve the dish.

Kale and Cashews

Okay so I forgot to change my Organic Delivery Box that comes from Farm Fresh To You. So this week I was given two bunches of Kale. I had to cook at least one bunch. So I did tonight. This was the most eclectic dinner I think I've ever made. I just had a lot of foods that I needed to use. So I baked my 7 tiny new potatoes, baked 3 small spicy sweet potatoes, thawed out my tamales from Christmas, and sauteed Kale. None of that blends together at all. But I had to use them or lose them.

This recipe for Kale won for the night. I had three helpings and my husband had two. I just looked at about half a dozen recipes and made my own. I'll make it again b/c it's very simple.

Ingredients
1/4 -ish of toasted cashews
1 onion diced
1 bunch kale
1-2 tbs lemon juice
red pepper flakes

Toast the cashews in the pan until you can start to smell them. A little brown is okay. Remove them and set them aside.

Saute the onion for about 10 minutes. Add the kale. Chop it up good. It's easier for the kids to get down when the bites aren't that intimidating. Saute for about 10-15 min more.

Add the lemon juice and red pepper flakes and viola!

Short Cut Collard Greens

Oh My Goodness. I LOVE collard greens ... when they are prepared this way. Thanks to Abundant Harvest again.

Short Cut Collard Greens

• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 slices Canadian bacon or Adele's gruyere & garlic sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste
  

Remove the stems and center ribs from the collard greens and discard. Cut the leaves into ½ inch strips. Place the greens into a large bowl with water and cover tightly. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, or boil on stovetop. Preheat a large skillet and cook the bacon to desired doneness. Remove the bacon from the pan, chop and set aside. Add the oil and onion to the pan and cook until onions have softened. Add the collard greens and stir in the vinegar, maple syrup, broth and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 30 minutes. Add the chopped bacon to the pan, and season with salt.