Sauteed Spinach

 

Sauteed Spinach

In my house, it is a battle to get my husband to eat vegetables, which is unfortunate since I love veggies. I am constantly trying to find new ways of cooking them to make them ‘edible’ for him.  Over the years, I have found that adding garlic and butter to vegetables will make him at least give the vegetable dish a shot, so when I stumbled upon this recipe for sauteed spinach, I knew I had to give it a shot. It’s so quick and easy to make and although the picture doesn’t do it justice, it’s really flavorful. My proof that it was a good recipe? Husband finished his whole portion.

 

Sauteed Spinach

Ingredients

1 lb spinach (2 bunches)
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil + more if needed
1 Tbsp butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Directions

Cut off the thick stems of the spinach and discard. Clean the spinach by filling up your sink with water and soaking the spinach to loosen any sand or dirt. Drain the spinach and then repeat soaking and draining. Put the spinach in a salad spinner to remove any excess moisture.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for about 1 minute, until the garlic is just beginning to brown.
Add the spinach to the pan, packing it down a bit if you need to with your hand. Use a couple spatulas to lift the spinach and turn it over in the pan so that you coat more of it with the olive oil and garlic. Do this a couple of times. Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. Uncover and turn the spinach over again. Cover the pan and cook for an additional minute.
After 2 minutes of covered cooking the spinach should be completely wilted. Remove from heat. Drain any excess moisture from the pan. Add a little more olive oil, sprinkle with salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from: Simply Recipes

Mushroom Risotto

 

Mushroom Risotto

My husband’s absolute favorite side dish is risotto. Given the option of risotto and anything else, he will 100 percent of  the time choose risotto. We’ve both been traveling a lot recently (separately unfortunately), so whenever we’re home together, I find myself making risotto…a lot.

One of the best things about risotto is that depending on what you add to it, the flavor can change so dramatically. With the addition of porcini and baby bella mushrooms, you have this amazing earthy, woodsy flavor.

Thankfully, this risotto is very easy to make, and I love that it’s a way to get Francis to eat vegetables. It’s perfect for my after-work quick-cooking as well as for our fancy-dinner occasions.

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup mushroom mix (I used baby bella and porcini mushrooms)
2 Tbsp garlic
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a medium skillet, heat 2 Tbsp butter with garlic on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook 3 minutes longer.
Add Arborio Rice and cook for one minute longer, mixing with other ingredients.
Reduce heat to medium and add vegetable stock, one cup at a time, allowing it to absorb into the rice before adding another cup.
When the last cup of vegetable broth is absorbed and the rice has been cooking approximately 20 minutes (and is soft), add Parmesan cheese and allow it to melt.
Enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes and Baby Carrots

 

 

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

The holidays are a time to indulge. Whether that’s helping yourself to an extra serving of cheesecake at the dinner table or, if you’re like me, finally going for that white truffle oil at Whole Foods just because; December is really as good a time as any to just go for it.

Last week, I was on winter break from school and found myself wandering through the aisles of Whole Foods when I started craving roasted vegetables (try browsing the vegetable section of Whole Foods and then tell me it doesn’t leave you craving delicious healthy vegetables). I picked up some baby carrots and red potatoes and roasted them with white truffle oil and you know what? Even though I was ‘indulging’ with the white truffle oil, this side made me feel a lot better about all the holiday candy that I was eating.

Roasted Potatoes and Baby Carrots

Ingredients

1 bunch baby carrots with green stems cut off to 1/4 inch
6-7 small red potatoes, chopped in quarters
1/2 tsp red peper flakes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried basil
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
3-4Tbsp White Truffle Oil

Directions

In a bowl, place the red potatoes and carrots.
Add the red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, minced garlic, white truffle oil and enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the vegetables lightly.
Place vegetables in a 9×13 Pyrex dish in a single layer.
Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Mix the vegetables.
Pour Parmesan cheese over vegetables.
Bake for 30 more minutes.
Enjoy!

Source: Innochka’s Kitchen