Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables and Spinach

This tasty side dish packs an incredible amount of flavor and healthfulness into each and every bite. I figured I should post this recipe so that you wouldn't think that everything I make contains bacon or butter! Believe me, you won't miss either in this recipe. Quinoa is one of those superfoods that seems like a grain but is really a protein. Mixed with iron-rich spinach, vegetables roasted in olive oil and nutty parmesan cheese, you will love this recipe as much as I do. Feel free to swap out vegetables to your liking; once you get the idea down, you can try so many different variations!
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups beef broth
1 cup of fresh spinach (this will wilt down significantly)
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/8 cup parmesan (get the good stuff!)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/8 cup cream (optional)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Kosher salt, black pepper

Assembly:
Rinse the quinoa. Bring the beef broth to a boil then add the quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the quinoa fluffs nicely with a fork. While the quinoa is cooking, saute the spinach and garlic in 1 tbsp. olive oil until just wilted. Discard the garlic. Roast the peppers with 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 400 degree oven for approximately 5-8 minutes. Put the peppers and spinach (along with their cooking liquids) into the quinoa and gently stir. Add the parmesan, salt, pepper and cream then stir to combine. Serve warm.

Warm Bacon Spinach Salad

We adore bacon in our house! I keep a package in the fridge and a package in the freezer and use it in so many different recipes. Typical dinners at our house include a mixed salad of baby greens with my standard balsamic vinaigrette (search sidebar for recipe). I wanted to switch things up a little bit one night when I was making barbecue, and I thought that a warm bacon spinach salad would be perfect. It's also a great lunch or dinner salad and pairs really well with a crusty baguette. Not only is this salad really tasty, but it's a surefire way to get your family to eat raw spinach and, yikes, enjoy it! Even if you're not a big fan of raw mushrooms, give this one a try. The mushrooms soak up the dressing and are so tasty. This vinaigrette is simple to prepare, and the salad sweet and tangy with the smokiness of the bacon perfectly contrasting with the freshness of the vegetables. This is one of my new favorites!
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
4 strips of uncooked bacon
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1 package (5oz.) of washed baby spinach
2 tbsp. thinly sliced red onion
6 diced mushrooms

Dressing:
rendered fat from 4 strips of bacon
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
salt
black pepper
a little splash of olive oil (opt.)

Assembly:
Arrange spinach and vegetables on salad plates. Cook bacon and reserve the fat. Crumble the bacon over the spinach and vegetables. Once the bacon fat has cooled a bit, whisk in cider vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper (and olive oil, if you choose). Taste it and adjust by adding more cider vinegar (if you like it tangier) or sugar (if you like it sweeter). Pour the warm dressing over the salad and allow it to wilt the spinach for a minute or two before serving.

Simply Sauteed Spinach

My husband has never been a fan of spinach until I prepared it in my absolute favorite way for him as a side dish to accompany risotto. In my humble opinion, fresh spinach is the only way to go. Lightly sauteed with a quick dressing of lemon juice and oil, this recipe will convince even the most dedicated spinach-haters to eat every last bite! Just a word of advice before you read the recipe: use more spinach than you think you will need. It wilts into much smaller portions!

Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach (about 3 cups or so)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 lemon wedge
Kosher salt
black pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Assembly:
Saute garlic and spinach in olive oil over medium heat until spinach wilts (you will need to toss the mixture so that the garlic does not burn). Squeeze lemon wedge over spinach and add salt/pepper to taste. Add nutmeg and toss.

Alternative preparation:
If you're not really fond of a strong garlic flavor, you can slice the garlic and saute it, then remove it from the pan before adding the spinach. This way your spinach will have a wonderful hint of garlic without you biting into any small pieces.

Summer Orzo Salad

This salad is delicious and refreshing ~ it's particularly great on a warm summer day. Served warm or cold, you can feel great about eating this one anytime of year! Red peppers, mushrooms and spinach abound in a mouthwatering combination of chicken stock and lemon infused orzo (short pasta that looks very similar to rice) and feta cheese. This salad is wonderful on its own, but it's also a great compliment to a sandwich or a toasted, crusty baguette rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil.
Ingredients:

Juice of 1 large lemon
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine (I prefer pino grigio)
2 cups orzo
1 small package of button mushrooms, quartered
8-10 oz. fresh spinach
1/2 diced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese
salt, pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil

Assembly:

Bring chicken stock, lemon juice (reserve 1 tbsp. for later) and white wine to a rolling boil. Add orzo and a good amount of salt then cook for 6-8 minutes or until orzo is al dente. Drain orzo but do not rinse. Using the same pot, add olive oil and turn heat to medium-high. Saute peppers and mushrooms 2-3 minutes until golden. Next, add spinach and cook 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Pour in reserved tbsp. of lemon juice and stir. Turn off the heat and stir in the orzo and feta. Allow mixture to cool slightly. This dish is best served at room temperature.

Popeye's Dream~ Spinach-Artichoke Dip

I am addicted to spinach-artichoke dip! This recipe makes enough for a party (or for one greedy person like me to enjoy as a snack all week!), so I recommend freezing half for later. It's great with chips, crudite, as a panini spread or just on plain french bread. If you're trying to justify making this full fat recipe, just remember that it has spinach in it. Lots and lots of spinach. Now how can that be a bad idea?!

2 10 oz. boxes of frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped

1/4 cup butter

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a yellow onion, minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 pint heavy cream

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. hot sauce

2 tbsp. dry white wine

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup parmesan or romano cheese

1/2 cup white cheddar or cheddar-jack cheese

black pepper

Saute onions and garlic in butter. Add flour and stir to make a roux. Cook flour, onion, garlic mixture for one minute. Add chicken stock, heavy cream and white wine. Bring to a boil. Add lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir in spinach and artichokes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Serve hot.