Everyday Systems

It seemed like last week, every recipe that looked interesting had spinach in it - raw spinach, cooked in.

So now I have some baby spinach I need to use up. And the recipes I was stumbling across before seem to have run for cover!

Lol - time to do some Google-ing. (Though, if anyone has suggestions, I'm open... some really good cooks on this board!)

Well, I like to put spinach in a version of Italian Wedding Soup or in white bean soup -- instead of white beans and kale or escarole.. I also like to saute it in a little olive oil and garlic (yum!) with a squirt of lemon juice. Then there's any number of salads with spinach. Our "friend" Clara suggests mixing it with pasta or rice.

This garlicky spinach and tomato salad is very good, too! The pork chops are good, too!

Knew I could count on this group!

It is also a nice addition to chicken noodle or chicken rice soup! I like to add a few carrots to the soups too.
Spinach and mushroom salad with oil, white balsamic vinegar, and blue cheese..mm.mmm.good!

I like pretty much any recipe you can find at http://www.eatingwell.com -- however ....

My favorite spinach recipe is as follows:

Take a bag of spinach and roughly a pack of basil. Tear the basil into pieces about the same size as the spinach. Toss together in a salad bowl.

Heat up some olive oil in a skillet (this is your dressing, so go with the amount you like). Add in plenty of minced garlic and pine nuts. When they sizzle and smell fabulous, pour quickly over the salad.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and freshly cracked pepper and serve immediately. (: YUM.

Pasta and Spinach
Cook 1 lb of any pasta, drain and set aside. Save some of the pasta water in a cup.

Pour a couple TBS of olive oil in large frypan. Add about 4 oz of cut up pancetta or bacon. If using bacon, drain off some of the fat. Add a few sliced garlic cloves til golden along with a little crushed red pepper for kick, about 1/4 tsp. Add one can of white kidney beans (any kind of bean will do).
Now add 6-8 cups of raw cleaned spinach leaves. Add some pasta water to loosen it up a bit. cook a few minutes til spinach is done. Add pasta, some grated parmasan cheese (1/2 cup), 1-2 TBS olive oil, and mix. Sprinkle with more parm cheese if desired.

I like to use sharp provolone for a stronger taste. Enjoy- I did!

My favourite version is Indian. I don't now how authentic it is, since I've never been to India, but I get this often from our local Indian restaurant:

http://www.indianfoodforever.com/non-ve ... icken.html

Ended up using it along the lines of noni's recipe... but appreciate all the great suggestions! (Will keep them for future reference.)