cilantro spinach chickpea salad {by laurie}

hi everyone!  i'm laurie, one of jenn's friends from way back in the day.  (believe it or not, jenn and i have known each other since fifth grade!)  for as long as i can remember, jenn and i have loved to eat . . . really, who doesn't?  so, i was so excited when she told me she was starting a collaborative food blog.  i am trilled to join the team and to be able to share some recipes here!

i absolutely love cooking and baking.  for as long as i can remember back, i have been helping my mom in the kitchen.  my mom is absolutely amazing when it comes to food, and i definitely get my love of being in the kitchen from her.  now that i'm married, i love being able to cook and bake with my husband too.  we have so much fun creating recipes together for our family and friends.

i share tons of recipes as well as snapshots of my daily life over on my blog love, laurie so be sure to stop by and say hi sometime.

so . . . let's get down to business.  the real reason that i'm here is to tell you about this salad.  since it has been so hot the past few days, i haven't been in the mood for heavy meals.  so the other day for dinner i made this chickpea salad with cilantro and spinach.  it was so light and refreshing (and healthy too)!  ryan has already requested that i make it again soon.  i have a feeling that this salad is going to be a staple in our house over the summer!

cilantro spinach chickpea salad
prep time: 10 minutes
yields: 4 servings

ingredients:
2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas
4 cups of fresh spinach
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
dash of salt
dash of pepper

directions:
drain and rinse the chickpeas.  place the chickpeas in a bowl and set aside.  in a food processor, add the spinach and pulse until finely chopped.  add the chopped spinach to the bowl with the chickpeas.
in the food processor, add the cilantro, onion, lime juice, sugar, olive oil, garlic powder, and onion powder.  pulse until smooth.  pour the cilantro dressing over the spinach and chickpeas.  stir well.  season with salt and pepper to taste.

*you can see my original post of this recipe here on my blog.

enjoy!

love, laurie

Zucchini Bread Pancakes

Ingredients1. c all purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (we didn't have so I used a sprinkle of ginger)
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 c. zucchini, shredded
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp butter, melted

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, zucchini, vanilla, and melted butter. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well-combined.
2. Coat a griddle with butter or spray with cooking spray and set to medium-high heat. Drop 1/4 c. of batter onto the griddle; cook 1-2 minutes on each side, until brown and cooked through.

(mostly) Vegan Easter!

My sister Lisa is vegan and so I challenged myself for Easter to make a mostly vegan meal for our families to enjoy. There was no super elaborate recipes, just simple good healthy food made vegan with a few modifications. The best thing about this meal is that I don't think anyone would have realized it was vegan if I didn't mention it and it was enjoyed by everyone.

Appetizers:
We made a vegi and cracker platter with two different dips. The chopped vegis included broccoli, orange bell pepper, grape tomatoes, and celery. The crackers were garden triscuts and buffalo wheat thins (both naturally vegan). The dips were a roasted red pepper hummus (store bought) and a homemade dip which was a sweet pepper and onion relish mixed with vegan cream cheese to create a creamy sweet peppery dip. It was a huge hit!

Entrees/Sides:
Spiral Ham (the only non-vegan menu item, prepared according to the package)
Roasted Potatoes and Onions (chopped potatoes, chopped onions, garlic, salt, pepper, evoo, baked in a casserole dish at 375 degrees for about an hour)
Maple Carrots (peeled, sliced, simmered on stove with a little water, evoo, salt, and maple syrup until carrots are cooked and liquid is reduced)
Dijon Balsamic Asparagus (sauteed asparagus tossed with balsamic vinegar, evoo, dijon mustard, salt and pepper)
Portabello Mushroom Linguine (sauteed mushrooms and onions tossed with tri color linguine and a garlic white wine sauce)

Desserts were not provided by me but included a cherry cobbler (vegan) and pineapple orange sorbet (also vegan) and chocolate cake/ice cream (not vegan).

Peanut Butter Brownies from Scratch!

My most recent pride & joy, the peanut butter brownies started the whole kitchen play day on Saturday morning! I knew I wanted to make something to send to work with Kyle to share with the guys (they love that and I enjoy making yummy stuff for them). I asked if Ky wanted chocolate chip cookies or brownies and he requested brownies. We have lots of ingredients, but didn't have a mix, so I looked online and found out I could make brownies from scratch. At this point, let me interject and say that I've never desired a brownie recipe from scratch because we've found a winner and it can't be beaten. Ghirardelli makes the BEST double chocolate brownie mix, hands down. However, since we didn't have it and I was up for a challenge, I decided to make these myself, and change them up a bit to become peanut butter-y :)

I found a good recipe here and set to work. I preheated the oven to 350, and greased a rectangular bread pan (we don't have a square pan and I didn't want to double to 9x13 this time). Then I gathered these ingredients:

- 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup applesauce! (saw the recommendation in the notes on allrecipes.com and decided to cut out the butter). LOVE this change.
- 1 cup white sugar (stuck with this, might try blue agave syrup in exchange for some sugar next time, but I need to find out the conversion).
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
- 1/4 tsp. salt (kosher)
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
**Note: I also added about 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of peanut butter. This is key.
**One of our roommates said that if you want gooey brownies, you should add olive oil, so I put in a little bit of that, too!

I followed these instructions:
1. In a large saucepan, melt butter warm applesauce. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs (beaten beforehand) and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix in cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder, (then chocolate chips and olive oil). Be careful not to over-mix! Spread batter into pan.
2. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Mine was extra moist, so I gave it about an extra 8 minutes in the oven, until a skewer stick came out a little chocolaty, but not too wet.
3. Cool.


THEN came the frosting...
3 tablespoons butter, softened (I did use the butter here, since it was a lot less)
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
**I added in a little cinnamon and about a 1/4 cup of peanut butter!

To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Add sprinkle of cinnamon and stir in peanut butter. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

--

To say that these brownies were delicious is an understatement. They were super moist, peanut buttery and even tasted a little different texture-wise with the applesauce. I wanted to make sure they were done, but might cook for a few minutes less if I were to make these again because in the end, they were a little bit cakey on the outside. Still so good and the icing was awesome. Kyle brought these to work after I enjoyed 1 and everybody loved them. We shared a couple with roommates, too, and they left a little thank you note with a big 'YUM!' on it. Hurray :) They were a hit! Fun to make something new, change it up and have it work :) I love it! So glad we have this blog to document it all, too!!!

Bob's Red Mill Bean & Grain Soup

I can't take much credit for this, as Bob's Red Mill created it and Grandma Ruth shared it with me, but I can say it was worth the wait and I wish I'd made more at once. Many types of beans, grains, and water boiled then simmered for about an hour and a half. Then I added in some onion and shredded some Jennie-O turkey bacon at the end as a topping. Such a great mix, I'll definitely be making more soon :)

Amazing leftovers, and great with potato timbales/sweet potatoes. Mmm!

Baked Sweet Potatoes

The story here is that my grandma Ruth (yoga teacher extraordinaire, health nut, Epstein family matriarch, and true Florida-lover) found a great produce stand at her local farmers' market and when I was down visiting last weekend, she highly recommended the sweet potatoes, so I got some :) They're not just sweet potatoes- they're YELLOW sweet potatoes- and they sure are sweet! They sat in our pantry for a few days, then I scrubbed them down, cut off the ends, poked a fork into them a couple times and put them in the oven at 350 for about an hour. The end result? Sweeter-than-you-can imagine, fluffy but moist potatoes that Kyle and I both enjoyed!

Note: I didn't do anything to the skin aside from washing it. It wasn't as tasty as some other potato skins that I've had and was even really tough in spots. Normally, I'd eat at least some of the skin, because I know there are some good health benefits, but it was not easy to eat this, so I didn't. Next time, I may put a little olive oil over it- maybe it was a little burnt? Oh well, the inside was so good, it didn't matter!

Stir Fry Veggies

Just sauteed some squash, brussels sprouts and onion with a little vegetable broth on the stove. They turned out perfectly, and I enjoyed them at lunch and dinner. Then they were gone! Ready for more :)

Note: I rolled the brussels sprouts around with a little olive oil, garlic powder and salt first)

Steel Cut Oats- The Breakfast of Champions!

I've been LOVING steel cut oatmeal and have it about 3-4 times a week. Thus, usually on a weekend, I'll pick a day when I can spend some time in the kitchen and make 4 servings at once. This makes mornings easier, plus I've been having so much fun in the kitchen on my cooking/baking days. This past weekend, I made baked sweet potatoes, peanut butter brownies from scratch, steel cut oats, soup, turkey bacon, and stir fry veggies. Already, this week is delicious.

Why steel cut oats? They're better for me, taste so good, leave me feeling content for a long time, and are delicious with some extra add-ins. Check out Bob's Red Mill steel cut oatmeal, the one I've been using lately. Note that this site is selling them for $10.88 a CASE (not a bag), and see the nutrition facts below. High in protein, a good source of carbs and iron, and low in fat and sugars.

So how does one make steel cut oats? Just follow the directions. They take a bit longer than rolled oats- these take between 10-20 minutes to simmer after the initial boil- and I usually add in some goodies like cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, mashed banana, flax seed powder, almond butter, greek yogurt, raisins, etc. toward the end (the last 5 minutes or so). I'll sometimes add some fresh fruit when I eat it or some blue agave syrup if desired. In any case, do what makes you happy and enjoy!

Mashed Potato Timbales

Let me just start by saying that I'm really glad I brought our mini muffin tins along to Florida. I've used them so many times, for actual muffins and a number of non-muffin recipes, and have found that anything in a mini-muffin shape is 1) the perfect size and 2) so much more fun to eat (despite being a little bit more time-consuming to create).

I found the recipe for Mashed Potato Timbales (What is a timbale? Click here to find out!) and pinned it awhile back on my 'Recipes I Want to Make' board on Pinterest. Then I made it, and these turned out delicious :)

Note: See pics at the bottom and forgive their fuzziness. These were taken in the stage of our Florida time when I didn't have a working digital camera. Thanks, iPhone for taking some decent pics, but I'm SO happy that I have a new camera now! Look for newer, lighter, clearer pics soon!!

Here's the recipe I followed:



Yield: 12 Servings muffin-size (or 36 for minis)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds potatoes (about 6 potatoes), peeled and cubed
8 ounces ricotta cheese (reduced fat)
8 ounces sour cream (reduced fat)
2 egg whites (I used 2 whole eggs)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp grated onion
2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs (I used Panko crumbs)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed (I crushed it myself! Put some dried rosemary in a baggie, folded in a dish towel, and rolled a glass bottle over it! A rolling pin would work, too! This releases the flavor and breaks up the rosemary. Mmm)
1/4 tsp pepper (skipped)


How to Make 'Em:
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain. Mash potatoes with butter and onion until small lumps of potato remain; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat ricotta cheese, sour cream, salt, garlic powder, rosemary and pepper until smooth. In a small bowl, beat eggsuntil frothy; fold into cheese mixture. Fold or beat into potato mixture.

Generously coat muffin cups with nonstick spray; evenly sprinkle muffin cups with bread crumbs. Fill with potato mixture; smooth tops.

Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 27-30 minutes or until edges of potatoes are lightly browned. Cool for 15 minutes. Loosen timbales from sides of muffin cups; invert onto a baking sheet to remove.

These are so delicious and made about 3 dozen, so I froze some for later and we've been enjoying them for a few weeks. Just ate the last one yesterday with some bean and grain soup. Yum!

I did find that the Panko crumbs didn't hang on as well as I would've liked, and that after they were frozen and unfrozen, then warmed up, they fell apart a little more easily. They were still so yummy and a fun way to enjoy potatoes, but I might modify this a bit next time!

Homemade Organic Granola Bars

I bought a few bags of Taspen's Organic Granola Bars a few weeks ago at the Green Market, so I didn't make them myself, although I hope to make something similar when I run out because they're absolutely DELICIOUS and seem fairly easy to make (once you get all the ingredients). It would definitely be easier to keep buying them, but they're a little pricy ($10/8 oz bag, about $6.50 per bag with the 3-bag deal I used) and would be fun to make at some point! Here are the ingredients:

Raisin Explosion-
Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Peanut Butter, Raw Unfiltered Honey, Organic Raisins, Organic Unsweetened Coconut, Organic Raw Sunflower Seeds, Organic Raw Pumpkin Seeds and Organic Chia Seeds


Almond Bliss with Chocolate Chips & Cranberries- (131 cals for a 1 oz bar, )
Organic Roled Oats, Natural Almond Butter, Raw Unfiltered Honey, Organic Dried Cranberrries, Organic Chocolate Chips, Organic Unsweetened Coconut, Organic Raw Sunflower Seeds, Organic Raw Pumpkin Seeds and Organic Flax Seed.

Check them out on http://www.taspensnaturalhealing.com/store/index.html . Yum yum yum!

Chocolate Beer Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Buttercream

Ingredients
Chocolate Beer Cupcakes
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup stout beer
½ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Irish Whiskey Buttercream
1 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (I use Spectrum Organics)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 to 5 tablespoons coconut milk
3 to 4 teaspoons Irish whiskey

To make the Chocolate Beer Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together stout, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix. Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.

To make the Irish Whiskey Buttercream
Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the shortening until smooth. With the mixer running on low, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon nondairy milk at a time, as needed, until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. You may not need to use all of the nondairy milk. Add whiskey, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired taste. Beat on high for 2 more minutes until light and fluffy.

The Verdict: Pretty good, the cupcake part was delish, very light and moist. The frosting was ehhh, maybe just not used to the milk/butter less frosting? I'd change up the frosting next time.

SLUTTY Brownies

I have no idea why they are named this but they are very... easy, lol! and yummy! and in no way healthy so don't make them unless you are bringing them to an event where there will be little or no leftovers :)

You'll need:
1 package of chocolate chip cookie mix
1 package of double stuffed oreos
1 package of brownie mix
(oil, eggs, whatever the mixes call for)

First make the cookie mix according to directions on the package (add about a teaspoon additional water and oil because it's going to cook longer than normal cookies). Press cookie dough down into a brownie pan. Next place oreos in a layer on top of cookie batter (don't crush them, I think they are prettier when you cut into them and can see all the layers). Then make the brownie batter according to the box- no modifications necessary. Pour on top of oreos and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min, let cool, and enjoy. These are to die for, the oreos get really fudgy and gooey in the middle, the frosting is heaven, it's really good and was a big hit.

Morning GLORIOUS Muffins!

Modified from Can You Stay for Dinner's Morning Glory Muffin recipe, these are amazing, sweet, healthy and were a blast to make!

Ingredients:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
2/3 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (generously used this, I love cinnamon!)
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple (including juices)- I skipped this and used a cup of cinnamon applesauce instead.
1½ cups shredded carrots (2-3 medium)- I didn't use quite this much, but will happily add more next time.
½ cup raisins
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
½ cup walnuts

AND...
about 5 sliced strawberries
1 diced nectarine
about 3 diced dried apricots
a few dried cranberries
...and I think that's it. But there might be more.

To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cups. (I made mini-muffins, and it made about 3 dozen).
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat together oil, eggs, and pineapple (including pineapple can juices/applesauce). Stir egg mixture into the flour mixture, just until combined.
Stir in the carrot, raisins, coconut, and walnuts (and other ingredients). Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. (About 15 minutes for minis)
makes 12 (or 36)

Review: I could eat these all day long, and on the first day I made them, I honestly had 6 (like having 2 regular-sized muffins, and with the chunks of fruit and bits of walnut, I didn't feel guilty about it at all). I have since limited myself to 1-2 per day, so that they'll last longer, but I am (and everyone else who has tried one is) loving them! When they run out, I'll be making a batch of banana chocolate chip muffins using the same recipe. The only issue was that the paper's a little tough to remove, any ideas for making this easier? Cooking spray inside the muffin papers? In any case, these are winners in my book and I was SO excited to share them that I came back and posted lots of new recipes, of course saving the best for last :) Yum, yum, yum!

Avocado Fries- a new adventure!

Another Pinterest find :) These. are. delicious. Here's the recipe and some better pictures. It calls for a cookie sheet, which I didn't have, so I just crumpled up tin foil a bit and sprayed a little cooking spray to keep the fries from sticking and allow the heat to get to them evenly. It worked :)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges
Grated parmesan for serving (optional)

Just:
Preheat oven to 450.

Coat avocado slices in the flour, then egg, then panko. Spread on a cooling rack that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, then place on a cookie sheet. Spray/lightly coat the top of the wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake for about 20 minutes at 450, or until they are golden brown (I turned my oven up to 500 for the last 5 minutes).

Review: Awesome :) These would be great dipped in a little sour cream or just on their own. Squeezing a little lemon juice on them would also be a lip-puckering good time. Enjoy! Again, sorry for my lame pics, but the site has better ones!

Next Up- Lemon Garlic Tuna Burgers: Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy (mmm)

Inspired by Rachael's Pinterest also, I made this recipe from Can You Stay For Dinner? It can be found here. It was easy to make, made many meals, and is absolutely scrumptious. I've since made these again and stocked up on tuna to make it once again in the near future. The recipe says that it makes 4 patties, but I thought they were too big, so the 2nd time, I made them smaller (which is how I got about 8 patties instead of 4, and they were perfect)

Ingredients: (Note: I love how Andie prices everything out on her blog)
2, 6 oz cans tuna fish, drained and flaked 1.98
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 0.30
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions 0.20 (I used a yellow onion)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 0.20 (I used spinach)
2 cloves garlic, minced 0.10
1/4 teaspoon each, salt and pepper 0.02 (Skipped the pepper)
juice of half a lemon 0.35 (Didn't skip this!)
3 tablespoons sour cream 0.30
1 egg 0.15
4 English muffins 1.25
4 leaves romaine 0.50
1 small tomato, sliced 0.99
___________________________
Total: $6.34, or $1.59 per burger

Combine tuna, bread crumbs, green onion, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon, sour cream, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Form into 4 patties (they will be wet), place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Serve the burgers on toasted English muffins with romaine and sliced tomato. Spread additional sour cream on each burger, if desired. Note: I also served this with avocado, and it was spectacular.

Nutrition info for 1 burger (not including bun):

Calories: 175.3, Fat: 3.7g, Sodium: 323.4mg, Carb: 9.7g, Fiber 0.4g, Sugars: 0.4g, Protein: 24.2g

Long Time, No Share- Sorry!

I have been baking/cooking in Florida, but I haven't been blogging about it and for that I must apologize. It's no excuse, but my beloved digital camera crashed a few months ago and while I've tried a few things to see if I can fix it (to no avail), it seems that I'll have to get a new one. I have snapped a few shots with my 3G iPhone (no flash, no zoom, not really a great picture-taker, but still something), and luckily, the sites that have inspired my recipes have some great pics you can check out. So let's catch up on some recent favorites. First, let me say that I'm LOVING reading 2 healthy blogs- one is Peanut Butter Fingers and the other is Can You Stay For Dinner? . Both Julie & Andie are fabulous writers and positive sources of motivation/inspiration for my 2012 healthy lifestyle. Since I'm following these blogs, I found out that Fitness.com has their Fitterati Blogger Awards voting going on now, and you can go find the best blogs for healthy eating, exercise, and more here. Awesome :) I've also been using Pinterest to keep track of recipes I find that I want to make, as well as those that I've made (I'll be updating/moving some of these around after I write this post). Enjoy, and please don't hesitate to send a text or give a call if I go this long without posting again and tell me to get my hiney in gear. Thanks in advance :)

First up...Spinach Mini Muffins (inspired by my sister Rachael, who found the recipe at Eatingwell.com)

These should take about 40 minutes total (prep and baking)
Ingredients:
12 ounces fresh spinach, (I labored over fresh spinach for way too long, and while they turned out delicious, I think next time I'll definitely use frozen spinach- and hopefully my Quick Chef or an alternate food processor)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese (I used ricotta)
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 large eggs, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (skipped)

Prep:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped (or, if you want to spend a really long time on it, roll up spinach leaves together and chop, chop, chop until you have about 10 cups!). Transfer to a large bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups. I used mini muffin tins and this recipe made a LOT (like, enough to refrigerate and freeze to enjoy the following week).
Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes (about 15 for minis). Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.


Note: Baby spinach is immature or young spinach—it's harvested earlier than large-leaved mature spinach. We like the sturdy texture of mature spinach in cooked dishes and serve tender, mild-flavored baby spinach raw or lightly wilted. Baby and mature spinach can be used interchangeably in these recipes (yields may vary slightly); be sure to remove the tough stems from mature spinach before using.

10 ounces trimmed mature spinach=about 10 cups raw
10 ounces baby spinach=about 8 cups raw

Nutrition (love that Eatingwell.com has this info, be sure to cut it into 1/2 or even 1/3? for minis)
Per serving: 141 calories; 8 g fat ( 4 g sat , 3 g mono ); 123 mg cholesterol; 6 g

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (170% daily value), Folate (46% dv), Vitamin C (40% dv), Calcium (30% dv), Potassium (16% dv).

Review: I thought these were delicious and very mini-quiche-like and the recipe made so many! They'd be awesome in a little crust, but were great the way that they were. The only thing I'd change is that I used Pam in the tin and did not use papers and the bottom of the muffins tasted a little Pam-my. I'd probably do something different next time to avoid that. These were nice as a snack or a side dish and I'll definitely make them again.