Showing posts with label chopped spinach. Show all posts
Crepes Stuffed with Spinach, Feta and Apples!!!
Ingredients:
For the Crepes:
¾ cup all purpose flour – sifted
Resift with:
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Add and beat:
2/3 cups milk
1/3 cup water
½ tsp vanilla
Make a well in the sifted ingredients. Pour in the liquid ingredients. Combine them with a few swift strokes. If the batter is too thick add a little more milk until it falls nicely from the ladle.
For the Stuffing:
9 oz. box of frozen chopped spinach
2 large apples – peeled and sliced
5 cloves of garlic – chopped
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
Dashes of red pepper flakes
4 oz. feta cheese
1 cup of walnuts
Olive oil
For the Sauce:
1 cup of grape tomatoes
1 healthy handful of Italian parsley
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. of capers plus a tablespoon of caper juice
Prepare the batter for the crepes and place in the refrigerator.
Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the frozen chopped spinach in it to thaw and sauté. When thawed add the garlic to sauté with the spinach.
When the garlic is fragrant add the sliced apples, brown sugar and red pepper flakes and continue to sauté.
Place the ingredients for the sauce in the food processor and give a few good chops.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a small frying pan and sauté these ingredients, while preparing the rest of the meal.
Place in the food processor the walnuts and feta cheese and process until smooth.
Combine the feta cheese and walnuts with the apples and spinach.
Preparing the Crepes:
Add a small drizzle of olive oil. Add a small quantity of batter. Tip the pan and let the batter spread over the bottom. Cook the pancake over moderate heat. When it is brown underneath, reverse it and brown the other side. Use a few drops of oil for each pancake.
Beginning at the edge of the crepe, place a tablespoon of stuffing and roll.
Top with a little of the sauce and serve.
These crepes are unique and delicious.
With Love,
Catherine
xo
Rice Balls with Spinach & Red Sauce with Fennel!!!
Ingredients:
1 ¼ lb. ground beef
2 cups cooked rice
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach
½ cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup fresh or Italian style bread crumbs
1 cup shredded mozzarella
½ cup grated Romano cheese
4 eggs – beaten
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Vegetable oil – for frying
Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the frozen spinach and ground beef. Sauté until the ground beef is cooked and the spinach is thawed and incorporated with the ground beef.
Place in colander to drain completely. Set aside to cool.
Beat three of the four eggs and add to the spinach and ground beef. Add the cooked rice, grated Romano cheese, shredded mozzarella and all of the seasonings and mix well.
In a separate shallow dish beat one egg. In another shallow dish place the bread crumbs. Form the mixture into balls and dip in the egg wash and then roll in the bread crumbs.
Heat a large frying pan with about 1 inch of vegetable oil for frying the rice balls.
Carefully place the rice balls in the hot oil. Fry about 4 minutes on each side, until a beautiful golden color is achieved.
For the Sauce:
1 – 29 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic – chopped
3 tablespoons – raisins
2 stalks celery – chopped
¼ head of fresh fennel – chopped
¼ lemon – plus the juice squeezed
½ cup sliced marinated sweet peppers – plus 3 tablespoons marinade
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Pinch of sugar
Olive oil – for drizzling
Fresh grated Romano cheese
Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the celery, fennel, garlic, marinated peppers and raisins, squeeze the lemon juice and then add the piece of lemon. Let this all sauté until the celery is tender.
Add crushed tomatoes and all of the seasonings. Let this simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes.
Plate the rice balls and top with the sauce, grated Romano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
These are a delicious treat as an appetizer or light dinner with a beautiful side salad.
With Love,
Catherine
xo
Three Cheese Stuffed Peppers with Spinach!!!
Ingredients:5 long sweet Italian red or green peppers Stuffing:2 cups Italian style bread crumbs7 cloves of garlic – chopped1 cup of Feta cheese – crumbled10 oz. of chopped frozen spinach1 handful of fresh basil - choppedShredded mozzarella¼ cup grated Romano cheeseOlive oilHeat a griddle and place the peppers whole on the griddle to grill. When the peppers are slightly charred remove from the griddle to cool.Heat a medium sized frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and place the frozen spinach to sauté. While the spinach is sautéing, heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and place the garlic in the pan to sauté. Add the bread crumbs and a little more olive oil and toss. Add the sautéed spinach and grated Romano cheese and toss. If a little more olive oil is needed add it. Add the crumbled feta cheese and toss. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.Preheat the oven 350 degrees:Carefully slice the peppers lengthwise and place in a baking pan. Top the peppers with the stuffing. Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top and grate a little more Romano cheese on top. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the peppers. Bake: 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly golden.These peppers will be a hit!!With Love,Catherinexo
Coconut Chicken Strips with Peaches & Spinach!!
Ingredients:
3 lbs. of boneless chicken breast – sliced thin
1 ½ cups of flour
4 eggs – beaten with a fork
2 cups of instant potatoes
1 cup of shredded coconut
Vegetable oil
For the Sauce:
10 oz. package of frozen leaf spinach
5 peaches – peeled and sliced
3 cloves of garlic – sliced
1 Jalapeño – sliced with seeds
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 tsp of sugar
½ cup of milk plus 1 tsp of flour
1 tablespoon of butter
Drizzle of olive oil
Set a shallow bowl with the flour, the eggs and the instant potatoes with the coconut. Dip the sliced chicken first in the flour then the egg wash and finally in the instant potatoes and coconut.
Heat a large frying pan with about an inch of vegetable oil and place a few chicken strips in the pan. Do Not overcrowd the pan. Turn the chicken when it is golden on one side. Turn the chicken only once so that the coating does not stick to the pan.
Place the chicken on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
For the Sauce:
Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the frozen spinach and garlic in the pan and let it sauté. When the spinach is thawed add the peaches and Jalapeño. Combine the vinegar with the sugar and add. Continue to simmer on low. Combine the milk with the flour, mix and then add to the pan. Add the butter. Simmer on low for a minute and remove from the heat.
This dish is easy and something different for a change.
With Love,
Catherine
xo
Macaroni with Chopped Spinach, Zucchini & Chick Peas!
Ingredients:
6 zucchini – sliced fairly thin
7 cloves of garlic – crushed & chopped
2 vine ripe tomatoes – chopped
1 medium red onion - chopped
1 healthy handful of Italian parsley – chopped
1 – 9oz. box of frozen chopped spinach
1 – 29 oz. can of chick peas – drained
1 – 8 oz. chunk of feta cheese – crumbled
Juice of 1 lemon
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Grated Romano cheese
Olive oil – for drizzling
1 box of your favorite macaroni
Heat a large frying with a drizzle of olive oil and add the zucchini, garlic and onion. Let this sauté until the zucchini start to become transparent. Make room in the middle of the pan and place the frozen spinach and let this melt. Add the tomatoes. Let this continue to sauté until the spinach is completely incorporated. Add the drained chick peas and the lemon juice and toss
Prepare the macaroni as directed on box, drain, add to the pan and toss.
Drizzle olive oil over and grate fresh Romano cheese.
This will be a delicious main course or a great side dish.
Enjoy with Lots and Lots of Love,
Ciao Bella,
Catherine
xo
Macaroni with Chopped Spinach, Zucchini & Chick Peas!