Spinach Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing

My friend Sarah passed the recipe on to me which came from an article posted on "The 24-Hour Workday".  I tried it out over the 4th of July holiday and had great success.  I added an avocado (per Sarah's recommendation) and I also accidentally forgot the feta cheese, but it was still delicious anyhow.  The dressing will make way more than you'll need for this salad, but you can save the remainder for future salads. 

 

Prep time: 30 mins

Serves: 6

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

For the Salad:
2 red bell peppers
1 bunch oregano, leaves only, roughly chopped
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bunch spinach, stems removed
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped or julienned
1 small red onion, chopped or julienned

1 avocado, sliced
crumbled feta

For the Dressing: (Makes 1 Cup)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 cup plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the salad ingredients into a large bowl and set aside. Combine all the dressing ingredients, except the yogurt, into a blender or food processor and blend until well combined. Fold the yogurt into the mix and then toss with the salad.  NOTE:  You won't need to use all of the dressing, just eye-ball it.  Serve immediately.

Creamy shells with tuna and spinach

This is an update on the old-fashioned tuna casserole that I found in my Everyday Food magazine.  I could never bring myself to make the traditional tuna casserole because it always seemed so bland, but the spinach and large shells make this dish more interesting.  I added more Parmesan in the shell mixture and I would also recommend adding more on top with the bread mixture. Very creamy and delicious!

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced small

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 pieces of bread, torn into large pieces

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out

2 cans (6 oz each) light tuna in water, drained and flaked

6 oz jumbo pasta shells (about 20), cooked according to package instructions

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium pot, heat oil over medium-high.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 6 minutes.  Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.  Gradually add milk, whisking constantly, and cook until slightly thickened and bubbling, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and let sauce cool slightly.

In a food processor, combine bread, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and red-pepper flakes.  Process until fine crumbs form.  Transfer half the mixture to a large bowl and combine with spinach, tuna and half the sauce; season with salt and pepper.

Fill each shell with 2 heaping tablespoons spinach mixture and place in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and breadcrumb mixture. Bake until sauce is bubbling and breadcrumbs and golden, about 20-30 minutes.

Saag Paneer

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time:

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 green chilies, sliced

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp turmeric

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground coriander seed

1 ½ lb fresh spinach or 2 packages frozen spinach

14 oz package paneer, cubed

¾ cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

 Put the ginger, garlic, green chilies and onion into the container of an electric blender or food processor along with ¼ - ½ cup of water.  Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a large, wide nonstick pan over a medium flame.  Put in all the pieces of paneer and fry them until golden brown on all sides.  Remove to a plate and sprinkle them with salt and ¼ tsp garam masala.

Add the onion paste to the hot oil in the pan and fry it, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until golden.  Now add the turmeric, ground coriander and garam masala.  Put in the spinach, cover the pan and cook gently for 15 minutes.

Add the paneer and cream.  Continue cooking on low heat for 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and additional garam masala if desired.