Welcome to my new series called The Ingredient Exchange. Each week I will highlight a different ingredient and link to some of my favorite recipes. There will be thumbnail link at the bottom of each post so you can share your favorite recipes by ingredient. These links can be from your own blog or from another place, but the goal is to have a great list of recipes to pull from for each ingredient chosen. In addition, there will be a link to each week’s link ups on my Ingredient-Based Recipe Index so you can easily find them in one place.
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So…SPINACH. I thought it would be good to start off with something nice and healthy, because who couldn’t use a little more nutrients in their diet? Also, because I frequently find spinach on sale. You can opt for the fresh, or the frozen boxed spinach variety. I often get the frozen spinach for free by combining a sale with a coupon. Depending on which type of spinach you have on hand, will dictate how you use it.
Some of my favorite ways to use fresh spinach are…
Blueberry Spinach Smoothie
This is my favorite breakfast. Not only am I getting a healthy breakfast, but I am getting my vegetables in, in the morning. Believe me this does not taste like it has fresh spinach in it! My kids even ask for it. I promise.
Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
I love salads, so when I find spinach on sale, that is my salad base for the week. This recipe is a great choice for a main course, I just a nice bread and I’m done.
Sauteed Garlic Spinach
Since spinach wilts down a lot when cooked, this is how I use spinach that is about to expire. It is a good way to use a lot of spinach at one time.
:: Checkout all of my favorite recipes using SPINACH.
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This is great and even the kids love it. Very simple and easy and if you don’t want to make your own sauce you can use jar sauce and it’s just as good and takes less time.
Spinach Cheese Manicotti
Ingredients
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 3 cans (8 ounces each) no-salt-added tomato sauce
* 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
* 1-1/2 cups water
* 1/2 cup dry red wine or vegetable broth
* 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
*
FILLING:
* 1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese
* 1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) 2% cottage cheese
* 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
* 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
* In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, wine, Italian seasoning, sugar and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
* Meanwhile, for filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the cottage cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs and salt.
* Stuff cream cheese mixture into uncooked manicotti shells. Spread 1 cup sauce into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spay. Arrange manicotti over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top.
* Cover and bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until pasta is tender. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 7 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 2 stuffed manicotti equals 389 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 80 mg cholesterol, 722 mg sodium, 50 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 25 g protein.
I just linked #10 the Baked Penne–Please keep in mind this is a large batch that came from an article Real Simple ran on how to bake for a swap group of trading meals. When I make this I half this recipe–it then gives me one for dinner and one for the freezer. Real Simple.com also has the recipe for a family of 4–same name just without the words “big batch” in the beginning
Easy thing I make that my sister whipped up after workign at the Macaroni Grill:
1 box Orzo pasta
1 red or yellow pepper, chopped up
2 Tbsp chopped garlic (or as much as you like, we’re big on garlic)
Olive Oil
Spinach (chop up as much as you like, I usually do about 3/4 of a bag of baby spinach)
Cook the Orzo according to package directions.
About half way through the cook time of the Orzo, in a large pot or large pan, add about 1/8 cup of olive oil. Sautee garlic and pepper until pepper is softened but not mush. Once orzo is done, drain and add to pepper/garlic mix. Season with some salt and pepper. Mix up. Turn off heat, add spinach, cover for a few minutes (so spinach can wilt). Uncover and stir it all up and serve. It’s super light and tasty!
Spinach Dip is a favorite & we make it weekly @ our home
1 pack frozen spinach
1 bag italian cheese
itailian seasoning
16 oz of sour cream
Small jar of Artichokes
Turn stove un high empty all contents into a pan mix often until blended & bubbling.
Serve with white corn tortilla chips!
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