Tag Archives: spinach

Spinach and Parmesan Soufflés

As I mentioned the other day, I’m a big breakfast fan and will eat it for any meal.  Eggs are one of my favorite foods to make but I’m usually either a simple fried egg or scrambled egg girl (I’ve only recently started eating runny yolks).  So when I come across a recipe like this one for Spinach and Parmesan Soufflés, I get a little excited to make something new, something that might become another breakfast favorite in my book.  Soufflés seem intimidating but I was up to the challenge.  And I was prepared to eat these whether they were puffy or floppy.

Spinach is mixed with thickened milk, cheese, and egg yolks before being gently combined with whipped egg whites.  Once baked until golden brown, they become puffy and are a true picture (although I didn’t take the picture right away and they had deflated by the time I was ready to snap…boo).  The result is a light, healthy, nutritious breakfast sure to impress everyone.  Don’t like spinach?  Swap it out for broccoli or green peppers.  Serve this with some toast, a little fruit or as a complement to any meat.  And don’t be afraid of or intimidated by soufflés.  They really aren’t hard and even if they lose their puff, they’re still good.

DSC04237

The ingredients:

DSC04227

Place a baking sheet in the oven. Preheat oven to 425°F.  Coat 4 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs, tilting and turning dishes to coat sides completely.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add spinach; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly. Place spinach in a colander; let stand 5 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Coarsely chop spinach.

DSC04228

DSC04229

Combine 2/3 cup milk and the next 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Spoon mixture into a large bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, cheese, and egg yolks.

DSC04231

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl, and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Beat with a mixer at high speed until medium peaks form (do not overbeat). Gently stir one-fourth of egg whites into spinach mixture, and gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

DSC04233

DSC04234

Gently spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Sharply tap dishes 2 or 3 times on counter to level. Place dishes on preheated baking sheet; return baking sheet to 425° oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°; bake soufflés at 350° for 21 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.

DSC04235

Serve immediately.

DSC04236

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Turkey Panini with Citrus Aioli

I have to admit, I’m not the biggest sandwich person.  Aside from the occasional Wawa junior hoagie, I don’t desire a sandwich very often.  At lunchtime, I usually get so cold in my office that I need something warm and cold sandwiches don’t usually cut it.  Sometimes, however, a warm panini with gooey cheese can be the perfect solution.  Since sandwiches are paired so perfectly with soup I thought this Turkey Panini with Citrus Aioli would be a great complement to the Winter Tomato Soup I posted on Monday.

Smoked turkey slices and provolone cheese are the base to this sandwich which I topped with baby spinach instead of watercress (because I had a huge tub of spinach on hand).  Adding a fresh and citrusy touch, an aioli made simply with mayonnaise, lemon and lime zests, garlic and lemon juice is lightly layered on the bread before topping it with the turkey and cheese.  This panini, which can be grilled on either a grill pan or a panini maker, is a great twist on the standard turkey sandwich.  If you have turkey and cheese in your fridge and you just don’t want another plain old sandwich, consider this.  It doesn’t matter what kind of turkey or cheese you use or even if you don’t have any leafy greens.  If you love mayonnaise like me, grab a lemon and a lime and whip up some of this citrus aioli for a yummy condiment to any sandwich.

DSC04258

The ingredients:

DSC04254

Combine mayonnaise, lemon, lime, pepper and garlic and spread evenly over half the bread slices.

DSC04255

Top evenly with turkey, watercress (or spinach), cheese, and remaining bread slices.

DSC04256

Coat a grill pan or panini maker heated to medium-high heat with cooking spray.  Arrange 2 sandwiches in pan.  If using a grill pan, place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches and press gently to flatten.  Cook 2 minutes on each side (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook).

DSC04257

Repeat procedure with remaining sandwiches.

DSC04259

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Baby spinach
  • Light mayonnaise
  • Reduced-fat provolone cheese
  • Whole-wheat bread

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Turkey Lasagna

Well, here we are on New Year’s Eve…again.  How does one year go by so fast?  For that matter, how does a decade or two decades go by so fast?  It was 22 years ago today that I lost my mom and it’s still so unreal.  I don’t get sad on this anniversary anymore because the sadness comes on throughout the year when I least expect it and it’s enough.  Instead of mourning her on this day, I choose to celebrate her and think of the many times I would stand at the kitchen table with her and assemble lasagna.  It was one of my favorite meals to make with her because we each had our roles.  She would be standing at the counter mixing ground beef and tomato sauce in the electric skillet while I would stand nearby stirring a bowl of cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and egg.  Then we would come together and do the layering until we were left with the perfect pan of lasagna ready for baking in the oven.  I can’t not think of her each time I make lasagna and I’m glad I do.  Making this Turkey Lasagna was no different.

This particular recipe comes from my aunt who started making this a few Christmases ago.  She had found it in the newspaper and liked it so much, it became a regular meal in the rotation.  Ground turkey (or ground chicken) is browned and mixed with jarred marinara, spinach and basil.   A little bit of ricotta is added, making the meat sauce slightly creamy.  Lasagna noodles, meat sauce and parmesan cheese are layered and baked until gold and bubbly.  What I love about this lasagna in particular is not just the addition of the spinach but also that there isn’t much cheese so it keeps the calories down.  Rather than having ricotta or mozzarella cheese layered in, the little bit of ricotta and sprinkle of parmesan is just enough.  If you don’t like lasagna unless it’s dripping with cheese, you might not like this.  But if you want a flavorful, tasty lasagna that won’t make you feel too guilty, this might be for you.  And just as I did when I was a kid, I used the extra noodles to scoop up the leftover meat sauce until the pan was clean.  I just wish my mom was there to do it with me.

Turkey Lasagna (from Chicago Tribune)

  • 1 box (16 ounces) lasagna noodles
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds ground lean turkey
  • 2 jars (25 ounces each) marinara sauce
  • 1 bag (8 ounces) fresh spinach, chopped, stems removed
  • 1 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package instructions; drain.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 30 seconds.  Add turkey; cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Add sauce; cook 1 more minute.  Add spinach, basil and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until leaves wilt, about 2 minutes.  Add ricotta; lower heat to simmer.  Cook 1 minute; remove from stove.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with at least 4 to 5 noodles. Spread 1 cup of sauce over noodles; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat process until remaining noodles are used.  Bake for 25 minutes, cool for at least 7 minutes before serving.

DSC04190

The ingredients:

DSC04180

Cook noodles according to package instructions; drain.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 30 seconds.  Add turkey; cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until cooked through, about 3 minutes.

DSC04182

Add sauce; cook 1 more minute.  Add spinach, basil and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until leaves wilt, about 2 minutes.  Add ricotta; lower heat to simmer.  Cook 1 minute; remove from stove.

DSC04185

DSC04187

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with at least 4 to 5 noodles.  Spread 1 cup of sauce over noodles; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat process until remaining noodles are used.  Bake for 25 minutes.

DSC04188

DSC04189

Cool for at least 7 minutes before serving.

DSC04191

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Shredded parmesan cheese

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Chicago Tribune

1 … 5 6 7 … 11
Blog at WordPress.com.