spinach – Oven Love https://www.ovenloveblog.com from scratch, with love...and a little sass Tue, 21 Apr 2015 20:19:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.28 Baked Eggs with Spinach and Bacon https://www.ovenloveblog.com/baked-eggs-with-spinach-and-bacon/ https://www.ovenloveblog.com/baked-eggs-with-spinach-and-bacon/#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:28:41 +0000 http://www.ovenloveblog.com/?p=2702 bakedeggs1

We like eggs.

You might already know that. (The backyard chickens are a dead giveaway, no?)

Since we’re moving, we said our goodbyes to the chickies a few weeks ago and they moved in with our friends across town. We no longer have eggs 24/7, which feels really weird. And it means I have to BUY eggs, just like everyone else. Not only do I have to buy them, but I have to buy them in flats (2 1/2 doz) instead of dozens because we can seriously tear. up. some. eggs.

Sometimes I get two flats at a time. And they disappear. Because we really like eggs.

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My personal preference is a runny yolk, but not too runny. I like it where it just oozes slowly down your plate and you can dip stuff into it. YUM. Baked eggs are a perfect way to get my fix in this department (although I cooked them just a bit harder than I like in the ones pictured).

You can’t see it too well in the photos, but there’s spinach and bacon hiding underneath those eggs. An awesome surprise to find at the bottom of your breakfast dish. Or lunch or dinner.. or brunch, or midnight snack.

Eggs for President!

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One of these dishes was filling enough for one person, but if you’re serving it alongside something else, I’d suggest splitting it up into 4 smaller ramekins. Add some toast/fruit/yogurt/salad and you can spread that meal a little further.

And let’s not forget to mention the cheese. I used raw cheddar, but I think fontina, havarti (GAPS-friendly), parmesan or gruyere would all be excellent choices. You can also skip the cheese entirely, if that’s your thing. The eggs can hold their own.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Bacon
 

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Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, Brunch
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 cup of shredded cheese (I chose raw cheddar)
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ cup heavy cream or coconut milk (optional)
  • chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter 2-4 small oven-safe dishes.
  2. In a hot skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Set aside. In the same skillet, wilt the fresh spinach.
  3. Fill the dishes with the spinach, then top with the bacon (I suggest crumbling the bacon a bit- I left mine in small strips and I would have rather had it crumbled or chopped). Add a bit of the cheese (reserving some to top the eggs), then add the eggs on top of that. Pour a bit of cream on top of the eggs, then add the remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how set you like your egg yolks. I would check them around 10 minutes (especially if you like your eggs runny).
  5. Top with the parsley and serve immediately.

 

 

]]> https://www.ovenloveblog.com/baked-eggs-with-spinach-and-bacon/feed/ 7 End of Summer Chopped Salad with Citrus Honey Viniagrette https://www.ovenloveblog.com/end-of-summer-chopped-salad-with-citrus-honey-viniagrette/ https://www.ovenloveblog.com/end-of-summer-chopped-salad-with-citrus-honey-viniagrette/#comments Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:45:00 +0000 http://www.ovenloveblog.com/end-of-summer-chopped-salad-with-citrus-honey-viniagrette/
  As I declared and made official in my last post, summer is not over.
It’s still August (I think?). And it’s still warm. And Labor Day is still a few days out.
Since I know you don’t mind, I will carry on with my summer-related nonsense. Sorry I didn’t get my act together for you guys about three months ago, but you can just pin this little number on your “Summer 2013” board and get pumped for next June.
I usually don’t eat salad with dressing (I know, I know, it’s weird), but when I make salads for dinner, I feel like I should provide Nick with a dressing option that actually complements the salad (he will typically just balsamic-vinegar-and-oil anything in a bowl). And then I just do a teeny, tiny drizzle on mine just to test it out.
The last time my mom was in town, she took me on an amazing throw-anything-in-the-cart-because-I-am-the-best-mom-ever Whole Foods shopping trip (love you, Mama!). While we were there, she recommended the O Citrus Champagne Vinegar that I used for the dressing. It’s light, fresh and not too sharp- you can taste it, but it doesn’t interfere with the other flavors of the salad.
What can I say? My mom and I are a couple of geniuses. 😉
Before I go, have we talked about getting kids to eat salad?
It is one of my great quests as a parent to have my children enjoy salads. I was completely against salads as a child. My cousin used to eat lettuce straight from the bag and I thought she was IN-SANE. (Turns out she was the smart one and the healthy one- can’t imagine why.)
Sometimes the whole idea seems futile, but I hope they’ll appreciate the effort someday.
I try to make salads as meals pretty frequently, so when I fix a toddler plate, I just use a smaller bed of lettuce and more of the toppings. Then, gradually, as the kids grow and get used to it, they will get more greens. I also try to sneak spinach or kale into everything- eggs, smoothies, wraps/sandwiches, desserts- I think that helps with flavor recognition (which is totally a real thing, I’m sure).
This particular salad was a toddler win for us- you really can’t go wrong if you’ve got fruit and bacon in the mix. If you want your kids to eat salad, just try adding a leaf or two of spinach to their plate each time. Eventually, they will wonder what it is and put it in their mouth.
End of Summer Chopped Salad with Citrus Honey Viniagrette
 

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Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 2

Ingredients
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ medium cucumber, sliced or diced
  • 1 ear grilled corn, kernels removed
  • 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • 8-10 cherries, pitted and halved
  • ⅓ cup feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons citrus champagne vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
  1. Divide spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, bacon, avocado, cherries and feta cheese between two bowls.
  2. Whisk vinegar, honey and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over salads and enjoy!

]]> https://www.ovenloveblog.com/end-of-summer-chopped-salad-with-citrus-honey-viniagrette/feed/ 4 Farmer’s Soup with Turnips, Spinach and Butternut Squash https://www.ovenloveblog.com/farmers-soup-with-turnips-spinach-and-butternut-squash/ https://www.ovenloveblog.com/farmers-soup-with-turnips-spinach-and-butternut-squash/#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:23:00 +0000 http://www.ovenloveblog.com/farmers-soup-with-turnips-spinach-and-butternut-squash/
I have Hilton to thank for this soup.
Hilton is a local farmer who has recently set up shop in our town, selling his organic vegetables to people like me who are dying to have a real farmers’ market. For $20, you bring your own bag and he fills it to the brim with produce. This week, I came home with green beans, tomatoes (red and green), a variety of sweet and hot peppers, turnips with greens, cucumbers, broccoli, oranges, spinach, butternut squash, carrots and onions.
I love this method (similar to a CSA, really) because I end up getting vegetables I wouldn’t normally think to pick up (this week, that was turnips). New veggies usually lead me to new recipes- and on cool days, that means new soups. I like to use the vegetables as the center of the dish- not just the side show. The method for this soup is typical- saute some onion and herbs, add your firmer veggies with liquid and simmer for a while, then add your greens and beans and heat through. The result is a nice balance of savory flavors with a light sweetness from the squash and turnips.
Of course, like most of my recipes, you can certainly customize this recipe to fit what’s in your refrigerator or CSA box. I’m sure I’ll be recreating this soup again in the coming weeks- and I can’t wait to find out what shows up in my bowl.
 
Farmer’s Soup with Turnips, Spinach and Butternut Squash
 

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Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 6

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a few sprigs fresh)
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 2 medium turnips, peeled and chopped
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 can garbanzo beans or white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1-2 cups fresh spinach
  • grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread, for serving

Instructions
  1. In a large sauce pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; season with salt and pepper to taste. Next, add the squash, turnips, tomatoes and broth (use as much liquid as you see fit) and bring to a boil. Return the soup to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until the squash and turnips are fork tender. Add the beans and spinach and let simmer another 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

]]> https://www.ovenloveblog.com/farmers-soup-with-turnips-spinach-and-butternut-squash/feed/ 2 Frozen Smoothie Bags https://www.ovenloveblog.com/frozen-smoothie-bags/ https://www.ovenloveblog.com/frozen-smoothie-bags/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:53:00 +0000 http://www.ovenloveblog.com/frozen-smoothie-bags/
I am very excited to share this idea with you today! If you are looking to streamline your morning routine or looking for a quick and healthy mini-meal or snack for the kids, pay attention! This is a good one.
I was inspired to make these frozen smoothie bags by The Tidy Nest‘s make-ahead freezer smoothies and Muffin Tin Mania‘s green smoothie cups. I love having ready-made smoothies waiting in the freezer instead of pulling out tons of ingredients and making a big mess. All you need to do is empty the contents of your bag into a blender and add juice or milk until you reach your desired consistency. Easy and healthy- a win/win.
The green smoothie cubes are my favorites (you’ll find the procedure for freezing yogurt and the green cube recipe at the end of the post). If you haven’t been brave enough to try a green smoothie yet, I assure you that the greens give each smoothie a healthy punch without changing the flavor. It’s a great way to add greens to your diet if you or your kids* don’t typically enjoy their taste.
*Kid Tip- if your kids won’t touch anything green in color, put one of these smoothies in a cup with a lid where the color is undetectable and they’ll never know the difference! I also recommend these Sili Squeeze containers if your kids like the disposable squeeze pouches- I fill them up with smoothies and my little guy loves it.
Here are a few of the smoothie bag combinations that I like to have on hand.
 Tropical Smoothie Bag:
pineapple, mango, banana and yogurt cubes. add orange juice or coconut milk.
(if you omit the mango and use coconut milk, you’ve got a Pina Colada bag!)
 Green Smoothie Bag:
kiwi, pineapple, banana, green cubes and yogurt cubes. add white grape juice or milk.
(you can also add other green items- celery, green apple, etc.)
 Mango Berry Smoothie Bag:
strawberries, raspberries, mango, green cube and yogurt cubes. add orange juice or milk.
Here are a few other ideas for smoothie combinations:
Mixed Berry Smoothie Bag: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and/or blackberries and yogurt cubes. add pomegranate juice.
Orange Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bag: strawberries, bananas and yogurt cubes. add orange juice.
Blue Banana Smoothie Bag: blueberries, bananas and yogurt cubes. add pomegranate juice.
If you’re wondering how much of each item to add to your bag, don’t worry too much about it. Each of my bags has about 1-2 cups of fruit, a few yogurt cubes (depending on the size) and 1-2 green cubes. The amount of smoothie that you get with each bag will vary anyways, depending on how much liquid you add, so don’t worry about exact measurements. Just have fun with it!
*Note: If you’re wondering what mold I used to get the bigger yogurt cubes, I use these Beaba freezer trays. These are excellent for freezing purees of any kind, especially if you want a larger portion than what you can get with an ice cube tray. The little heart cubes are made using a heart mold from the $1 section at Target and the green cubes are made with a silicone mini-muffin tray like this one.

Procedure for Freezing Fresh Fruit:
Wash fruit well and pat dry. Cut off any unwanted skins or stems. Chop into small slices or pieces and place on a baking sheet. Do not allow the fruit pieces to touch each other. Freeze until firm. Remove from the baking sheet and place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.
 
Procedure for Freezing Yogurt:
Spoon or pour yogurt into a mini-muffin tin, ice cube tray or flexible silicone mold. Freeze until firm. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes and remove from the mold (try to avoid running hot water over the mold, it can melt the yogurt). Place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.

Green Smoothie Cubes
by Oven Love

Ingredients:

  • leafy greens of your choice- spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc
  • liquid of your choice- yogurt, milk, juice or water

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the greens and liquid. Process until smooth, adding extra yogurt or liquid as needed. Spoon or pour the green mixture into a mini-muffin tin, ice cube tray or flexible silicone mold. Freeze until firm. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes and remove from the mold (try to avoid running hot water over the mold, it can melt the mixture). Place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.

]]> https://www.ovenloveblog.com/frozen-smoothie-bags/feed/ 10 Spinach Kale and Pear Smoothie https://www.ovenloveblog.com/spinach-kale-and-pear-smoothie-2/ https://www.ovenloveblog.com/spinach-kale-and-pear-smoothie-2/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:56:00 +0000 http://www.ovenloveblog.com/spinach-kale-and-pear-smoothie-2/
Green drink!
Are you in, loves?
My last attempt at a green smoothie wasn’t exactly what I hoped for.
So, I picked myself up and found some more green inspiration.
Kale. Spinach. Pear. YUM.
This smoothie looks very green, but you don’t actually taste any of the green stuff.  All I really tasted was the pear and banana- how crazy is that?  This drink is packed with some serious nutrition and is the most beautiful green color.  If you can get past the idea of drinking vegetables, you should give this one a try.
And, believe it or not, my spunky little one-year-old could not get enough of this smoothie.  He literally drank six ounces without breaking a sweat.  I’m pretty sure he’s the only baby on the block drinking kale smoothies.. maybe I should ask around?
Look at that little baby hand reaching up for his smoothie!
Adorable.
Try the green drink!

 

Spinach Kale and Pear Smoothie
 

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only slightly adapted from Joy the Baker.
Author:
Recipe type: Drinks
Serves: 2

Ingredients
  • 1 cup packed spinach
  • 1 cup chopped, packed kale
  • 1½ cups milk (dairy or non-dairy, you could sub fruit juice as well)
  • ½ pear
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey)

Instructions
  1. In a blender, combine kale spinach and almond milk.  Blend until no big kale bits remain.  Stop blender and add banana honey and pear.  Blend until smooth.  Enjoy immediately.

]]> https://www.ovenloveblog.com/spinach-kale-and-pear-smoothie-2/feed/ 7 Spinach Cheddar Strata with Crispy Breakfast Ham https://www.ovenloveblog.com/spinach-cheddar-strata-with-crispy-breakfast-ham-2/ https://www.ovenloveblog.com/spinach-cheddar-strata-with-crispy-breakfast-ham-2/#comments Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:57:00 +0000 http://www.ovenloveblog.com/spinach-cheddar-strata-with-crispy-breakfast-ham-2/
 Now that all that first birthday biz is behind us, I can focus back on March’s original task- bringing you delicious brunch inspiration.  Aren’t you loving spring already? We absolutely are. We’ve already got some produce growing in the yard.. the green is beautiful!If you’ve never heard of a strata, it’s a layered casserole dish, usually with bread, eggs and cheese. (Yes, please.)  These little personal stratas have the extra health factor of spinach, because we all need a little extra folic acid, vitamins A slash B slash C, calcium, magnesium- I could go on, but you get me.  An excellent choice for vegetarians (sorry vegans, still love you) as well.

 

If you kinda love meat, though, which I definitely kinda do, you should make some crispy breakfast ham as well.  Salty, crispy goodness.  And wait- I just had a flash of genius- next time we’ll all drizzle a little maple syrup on the ham before broiling.  Brunch of champions!

Tasty and good for you!  Don’t get me started on the health benefits of eggs, we’ll be here all day.

PS- We actually ate this for dinner, not brunch.  I love meals that work at any time of day.
Brinner is our fave.  Who else does brinner out there?

 

Spinach Cheddar Strata
 

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only slightly adapted from Everyday Food (May 2010)
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 10 oz fresh spinach
  • 3 cups day-old bread cubes (1 inch)
  • 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup milk (preferably whole)
  • 4 oz grated sharp (or extra sharp!) white cheddar
  • whole nutmeg, for fresh grating
  • coarse salt and ground pepper

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add spinach and stir constantly until wilted. Press into a colander to remove as much liquid from the spinach as possible.  Divide bread and spinach in four 8 oz ramekins or an 8 inch square baking dish.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and half of the cheese.  Season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste (a little nutmeg goes a long way- just a few passes over the grater will be fine).  Divide egg mixture evenly among the dishes and top with the remaining cheese.  Place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until set in the middle and golden on top, 20-25 minutes.

 

Crispy Breakfast Ham
 

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Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 8 slices of deli ham

Instructions
  1. On a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet, broil slices of deli ham until golden in parts, 3-5 minutes, rotating sheet frequently.

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