Basic Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

This is a simple salad dressing that pairs well with fresh spinach, berries & almonds in a salad. In the summer I'll even add chicken and a little tortellini to it for a full meal spinach salad. Beware of what type of vinegar you chose to use, you may not need it in equal portions. I have found rice vinegar is nice because it is not as strong as an apple cider vinegar.

1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Olive Oil
1/2 C Vinegar
2 T Poppy Seeds
1/2 t dried mustard powder

Blend together in blender.

Spinach Souffle

Shortly after Easter, Mom found she was craving different vegetable dishes.  She remembered Patti preparing this frequently and called her for her recipe.  She agreed that it was simple yet a very good way to introduce kids to certain vegetables they normally wouldn't eat.  Because this has so many dairy products it could be substituted as a major course in a meal as well.  Even dad liked it.  

2 C.                         Cottage cheese

4                              Eggs, beaten

¼ C.                        Butter, melted

1/3 C.                    Flour

2 Pk.                      Frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1-2 C.                     Grated cheese

Mix first four ingredients

Add spinach

Stir in cheese

Bake at 350 oven for ½  to 1 hour in a greased/sprayed casserole dish

Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup

I really liked this soup. It has a completely different flavor than most things I eat because of the peanut butter, soy sauce and ginger. I adapted this recipe from Robin Robertson's "Quick Fix Vegan." 

2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 TBS grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 TB. soy sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter
4 cups vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Heat the oil (or broth) in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sweet potato. Cover and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or to taste. Add the tomatoes and soy sauce.

In a small bowl, combine, the peanut butter with 1 cup of the broth, stirring until smooth. Stir the peanut butter mixture into the soup, then add the remaining broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes,

Stir in the nondairy milk and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped peanuts.

Chicken Florentine

Mom got this recipe from a cookbook created at her work for employee appreciation week last year. This recipe is from Susan Castanette. We had it last night and it was delicious! We served it with rice.


1/4 C butter
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1/2 c half and half (or cream)
1/2 c grated parmesan
1 bag fresh spinach
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or abt 8 tenders)
1-2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Melt butter in saucepan, and stir in garlic soup, seasoning, half and half, and parmesan.
Arrange spinach in 9x13 casserole. Cover with mushrooms and half the sauce. Arrange chicken on top and cover with remaining sauce. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken is done. Top with mozzarella for last 10 minutes of baking. Serve!

Pear Quinoa Spinach Salad

 

1 cup dry quinoa 

2 cups water 

4 cups washed baby spinach leaves 

1 pomegranate, seeded

1 ripened avocado 

1 pear

Bring quinoa and water to a boil on the stove. Reduce heat, cover pan, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed. (You can also cook the quinoa in a rice cooker. While quinoa is cooking, cut pear and avocado into bite sized pieces. In a large bowl toss warm quinoa and remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing if desired (recipe follows) 

Mustard vinaigrette dressing
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 TBS stone ground mustard (or whatever mustard you have)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste