Spinach and a treat

So I was in the mood for some greens. And I came back from the market with a gigantic bag of spinach. The thing was, the market was wrapping up, the spinach was already in the bags, and the farmer gave me the whole bag for 2.20 Euro. I told him I wasn’t going to be able to eat it all, but I somehow ended up with the whole bag. He said it was a kilo, but it was actually 1.4 kilos (about 3 lbs) – so needless to say, I still have LOTS.

I washed as much as I could cram in my salad spinner, chopped most of that, and then cooked it up quickly with some lemon and olive oil. At the end I tossed in some tagliatelle and then some parmesan and something sort of like Vege-Sal (except it is salt with dried herbs).

On my way to the table I noticed the gigantic bowl of tomatoes, so decided to add a few for good measure. The vitamin C in lemons and tomatoes helps the body absorb the iron in spinach more easily.

I have enjoyed spinach a few times this week, and still have half the bag left! I am wondering if I will finish it before it gets slimy. Just call me Popeye-ette.

I tried a new recipe tonight – they are called “almond butter chews” and I found the recipe on a really fun healthy-food blog called Oh She Glows. Here is the link to the original recipe, but I didn’t have any brown rice syrup, so I used 1.5 Tbs Zuckerruebensirop (which is sort of like molasses) and 1.5Tbs Agave nectar, plus then the 1/4 cup almond butter (which I bought at the bio shop for 7 Euro for a tiny jar holy cow!), a splash of vanilla, a cup of puffed rice cereal and some chopped choco-chips. I tried to melt the almond butter and sticky syrups in a makeshift double-boiler, and then stirred in the puffed rice with some elbow grease and rolled them into bite-size rounds. After a few minutes in the freezer, I am enjoying one right now! Very yummy!! Have a great second half of the week!

 

 

 


 

Kale and Potato Soup

Happy Sunday!

Yesterday I found this kale at the market. I asked for about 500 grams, because that’s what a euro would buy me. The farmer grabbed an absolutely ridiculously large bunch and plopped it on the scale. Umm…a slightly smaller bunch please? I like kale, but the whole plant is not necessary. I still walked away with enough for at least two meals.

After perusing my cookbooks and a few recipe websites, I decided to go with Alice Waters’ Curly Kale and Potato Soup (pg 254 in The Art of Simple Food). It turned out to be perfect for the first snowy day in Siegburg. Just what I needed–warming, healthy, and delicious! Its a nice mix of chunky potato and kale in a light broth flavored by onions and garlic. Finished of course with a sprinkle of parmesan, sea salt, and drizzle of olive oil. So it was gourmet Sunday light and healthy style.

Have a great week!