... but not that nasty, slimy stuff you get in a can. I suspect that eating that stuff is how Popeye's eye got that way.
No, the way to eat spinach is fresh, and combined with things to help the texture and provide a flavor contrast. Spanakopita is one favorite way, but I just learned a new one. Wil Wheaton made a comment about a spinach wrap from Trader Joe's and linked a recipe; this is my version of that:
Spinach-Lentil wraps
1 cup cooked spinach (about 8 oz fresh leaves or about 2/3 of a package of frozen)
1 cup cooked lentils
1 cup cooked rice
2 oz yogurt or kefir
6-8 oz shredded kesseri cheese
flour tortillas (number depends on size; I get about 8 or 9 wraps using fajita sized tortillas)
Preheat a panini press to medium-high if you have one; otherwise use a griddle or cast iron skillet.
Rinse your spinach leaves and shake off most of the water, then cook, covered, in a lightly oiled skillet or wok, stirring every few minutes until the leaves are all wilted. (If using frozen, microwave the package until hot and drain off the excess water.)
Mix the spinach, lentils, rice, and yogurt in a mixing bowl until everything is coated with yogurt and the mix sticks together a bit.
Prepare the wraps by putting about an ounce of cheese in a strip in the center, then spooning some of the spinach mix on top. Make sure to leave room at both ends for folding. To fold, lay the tortilla so that the strip of filling is running horizontally in front of you. Take the bottom edge up to the top, and pull back, tucking the filling in. Now tuck the left and right edge in and flip the whole thing over onto the last flap. (If you've ever watching a burrito being folded at Chipotle, this is how I'm doing it. It works well.)
Grill the wraps in the panini press for 10-15 seconds to brown the tortilla and seal it. If you are using a griddle or skillet, you'll need to press down to flatten it, and cook both sides. Alternately, if you have a cast iron skillet or two, you can try a technique Alton Brown demonstrated on Good Eats for making grilled cheese: after you put your wrap on the griddle or the larger of the two skillets, set the other skillet on top of it. The heat is just as good on the bottom of the pan as the top, and the weight of the skillet does the same job as the panini press.
The original recipe called for stirring the cheese into the mix, but I like having it separate so it melts against the tortilla.
Let me tell you, these things are seriously good and packed with nutrition. Using fajita tortillas, I calculate these babies are about 250 calories each, and nearly half of that is the tortilla. They also freeze and reheat well: wrap in a paper towel and microwave for about 1 minute 45 seconds. They aren't crispy like they are when freshly grilled, but just as tasty.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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