Looking through my arsenal, it appears that I don’t have many recipes for side dishes. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I either don’t make a side or just steam/roast some veggies or throw together a simple salad. But those get pretty boring really quickly so it was nice to try something different for a change.
I spent a lot of time poring over the recipes from my assigned blog for the Blogger’s Choice swap but kept coming back to this one. I always order creamed spinach pretty much whenever it is offered as a side at a restaurant. It’s not the healthiest choice, hiding nutrient-packed spinach amongst all the cheese and heavy cream, but I was thrilled to have the chance to make it a wee bit better for you, hopefully without sacrificing the taste.
And it didn’t disappoint. Although I have to admit I cheated just a little bit. I served this alongside pan-fried bacon wrapped chicken (coming soon to the blog) and used the same skillet with some of the remaining bacon grease and pan juices to prepare it. Other than that, I didn’t stray too far from the recipe. I substituted 32 oz. of fresh baby spinach for the frozen chopped, doubling the amount of spinach to boost the nutrition factor and because 16 oz didn’t look like it was going to be enough once it was chopped.
Ingredients
- 32 oz. Fresh Baby Spinach
- 1 Tbsp. Butter
- 2 Shallots, minced
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. Flour
- 1 1/2 Cups 2% or Skim Milk
- 2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, shredded
- 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
- 4 oz. Garlic and Herb Boursin Cheese
Instructions
Add the spinach to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add the flour to the skillet and whisk until combined. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the parmesan, pepper, nutmeg and Boursin and stir until smooth, then add the spinach and stir until combined. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
Serve hot.
Source -
1.4
http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/lighter-creamed-spinach/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
This week, my friend Sarah over at A Taste of Home Cooking is celebrating her SIXTH Blogiversary! In honor of the occasion, she asked six blogger friends to make one of her recipes and guest post on her site. I am thrilled to be a part of that group.
I chose to make Sarah’s Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes. It was an easy choice considering they are by far the most popular recipe on her site. To see what we thought of them (hint: YUM!) and to get the recipe, head on over to A Taste of Home Cooking.
And don’t forget to wish Sarah a happy sixth blogiversary!
In this week’s swap, we revisited pasta dish. I was thrilled when I received this one from Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks since I don’t have anything like it in my repertoire! I was even happier when I realized just how easy this recipe is. Lasagna is typically time consuming with a ton of ingredients and is all together a pain in the butt to make, but this one took less than an hour from start to finish! And it was super tasty to boot.
One of my great food loves is spinach artichoke dip, so I decided to add artichokes to the mix and I’m glad that I did. I also used whole wheat lasagna noodles in an attempt to up the health factor, but next time I think I’ll stick to regular old lasagna noodles. I also decided to try baking the individual rolls in muffin tins, and while it worked fairly well, I thought they didn’t get enough extra sauce that way, but luckily I had enough leftover to serve over the top.
Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Rolls – slightly adapted from Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
- 12 Lasagna Noodles
- 1 8 oz. Package Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
- 1 10 oz. Package Frozen Spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 14 oz. Can Artichoke Hearts, quartered
- 2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 3 Cups Alfredo Sauce, divided
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. Oregano
- 1/2 Cup Roasted Red Peppers, chopped
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Preheat oven to 375. Spray a muffin pan or baking pan with cooking spray.
Cook and drain the noodles, then set them individually on waxed paper to prevent sticking.
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, spinach, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup alfredo sauce, garlic and oregano. Mix well, then spread evenly on top of each noodle. Sprinkle with the roasted red peppers.
Roll the noodles up tightly and place into the muffin tin (or baking pan, seam side down). Top with remaining alfredo and mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through.
