It's not always easy to cook a meal for just one. I don't know about y'all, but when I make a regular recipe, I always end up with a ton of leftovers that just go to waste. I forget about things and they get fuzzy in the back of the fridge. Bleack! That's a waste of money and, worse, of food itself.
If an effort to get back on track and make my lap band work as well for me as it should, I'm trying to cook and eat healthier meals. I can eat a lot of veggies if they're tender, and that's not such a bad thing! Today I decided to make my favorite glazed carrots and some spinach with a slightly Asian twist. Everything turned out fabulous!
Glazed Carrots
1 cup carrots
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon orange juice.
Cook the carrots in boiling water (or in the microwave if you have one) until just tender. Drain and set aside.
In the same saucepan, melt the butter and gently cook the garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the ginger and cook another minute. Keep the heat low so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the orange juice and brown sugar.Add the carrots and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sesame Spinach
1 cup frozen spinach
1 teaspoon minced garlic
couple splashes of soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cook the spinach and drain. Set aside. Put the olive oil in a pan and gently fry the garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach. Season with soy sauce and sesame oil.
This would be excellent with bok choy too, I think.
The carrots have about 110 calories and around 4.5 grams of fat per serving. The spinach has about 81 calories and 7 grams of fat. You could probably reduce the fat by using nonstick cooking spray instead of oil, but things like Pam aren't available to me here in Turkey.
Recipes were analyzed on http://caloriecount.about.com. It's free and you can utilize their food log and activity log as well. Great site!
Showing posts with label spinach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spinach. Show all posts
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Imbolc Recipe: Warm Spinach Salad
Wilted spinach salad with warm dressing is a dish I remember fondly from my childhood. Being far from home, I sometimes feel the need to recreate family recipes. I never recreate them exactly, however. Thanks to my mom and a package of real bacon crumbles, I was able to put this salad together tonight for supper.
I guess it really isn't a salad in the traditional sense, as it is served warm. That's one of the things that makes it great for Imbolc and Ostara, though. A chilly plate of crisp greens isn't what most of us are craving during the winter months.
Warm Spinach Salad
Note: I used frozen spinach. If you wish to use fresh baby spinach, please feel free to do so. You will need to allow it time to wilt in the skillet and you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to help it along.
Ingredients
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed, excess moisture squeezed out
1/4 cup sweet onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 thick slices bacon, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.
Remove and drain all but about 2 teaspoons of the fat.
Cook the onion in the bacon fat for 3-4 minutes over medium/medium-low heat.
Add the garlic and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Add the spinach and allow it to heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine all the dressing ingredients except for the oil in either a small saucepan or microwave-safe container. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, then whisk in the olive oil. You can also make this dressing at room temperature; the sugar will still dissolve with enough mixing.
Add the bacon back to the spinach and turn out onto a serving platter. Pour the dressing over and serve.
**You can also use fresh baby spinach and just wilt it with the warm dressing. In this case, you may also leave the onions raw. I suggest rings of red onion. The garlic can be omitted, or just added to the dressing. Mushrooms are also a lovely addition to this salad if you wish to eat it raw.
I guess it really isn't a salad in the traditional sense, as it is served warm. That's one of the things that makes it great for Imbolc and Ostara, though. A chilly plate of crisp greens isn't what most of us are craving during the winter months.
Warm Spinach Salad
Note: I used frozen spinach. If you wish to use fresh baby spinach, please feel free to do so. You will need to allow it time to wilt in the skillet and you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to help it along.
Ingredients
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed, excess moisture squeezed out
1/4 cup sweet onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 thick slices bacon, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.
Remove and drain all but about 2 teaspoons of the fat.
Cook the onion in the bacon fat for 3-4 minutes over medium/medium-low heat.
Add the garlic and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Add the spinach and allow it to heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine all the dressing ingredients except for the oil in either a small saucepan or microwave-safe container. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, then whisk in the olive oil. You can also make this dressing at room temperature; the sugar will still dissolve with enough mixing.
Add the bacon back to the spinach and turn out onto a serving platter. Pour the dressing over and serve.
**You can also use fresh baby spinach and just wilt it with the warm dressing. In this case, you may also leave the onions raw. I suggest rings of red onion. The garlic can be omitted, or just added to the dressing. Mushrooms are also a lovely addition to this salad if you wish to eat it raw.
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