Hi again. Well, we are up to our eyeballs in spinach. So this post is all about spinach. Spinach is a versatile green that can be eaten raw or cooked and everywhere in between. Spinach is extremely nutrient dense and has twice as much iron as other greens. Plus it is an excellent source of vitamin K, carotenes, vitamin C, folic acid, magnesium, cancer fighting flavonoids, and more. It is an excellent addition to quiches, pasta dishes, salads, and as a pizza topping. That being said, below I’ve listed two great recipes that showcase the spinach. One is a warm salad and the other is a lighter version of southern style creamed spinach. So enjoy – and eat your greens!













Warm Spinach Salad with Reduced Balsamic, Baked Goat Cheese, Toasted Pine Nuts, and Sweet Cranberries
Recipe by Julie, serves 4

½ cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tb goat cheese
½ pound fresh spinach (1 Synergy bag)
1 clove Synergy garlic or 2-3 medium, minced
~ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup sweet dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Combine the balsamic vinegar and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Maintain a boil and reduce the vinegar for 5 minutes.

3. Pile the goat cheese on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until soft and bubbly.

4. Cut the spinach into 1-inch strips by making stacks of leaves and slicing through crosswise.

5. Place all of the spinach in a bowl. Pour olive oil onto the spinach and toss gently with your fingers to coat all of the pieces with the oil.

6. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet until fragrant and golden brown. Stir constantly when the pan gets hot.

7. Pour the reduced but still hot balsamic over the spinach and toss with your fingers. If the spinach is not wilted put the spinach in a skillet on medium heat and toss constantly with tongs to warm through and wilt for just a couple minutes. Return the spinach to the large bowl.

8. Toss the spinach with the pine nuts and cranberries and then pile the ooey-gooey goat cheese on top. Season with a little salt and pepper directly onto the salad. Yummy!

Creamed Spinach with Yogurt and Dijon
Courtesy of “The Grit Cookbook” (My favorite vegetarian restaurant ever.) Serves 4

1 Tb plus 1 tsp butter
½ medium yellow onion, finely minced
1 pounds fresh spinach (2 bags of Synergy spinach)
3/4 cup plain (whole fat) yogurt
¼ tsp Dijon or coarse-grained mustard
Generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Very small pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (vegan if you got it on hand)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add onion. Saute over medium-high heat until caramelized, approximately 5 minutes. Add spinach and cover, stirring frequently over medium-high heat until fully softened and thoroughly warmed through.

Stir in yogurt and spices. Add Worcestershire sauce and continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until spinach is satisfactorily tender.

Coddled Eggs and Something Green

Chard and Kale and Coddled Eggs make a generous lunch for one.

1/2 lb of leaf greens (chard, kale, spinach, etc.) cut into ribbons
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a saute pan. When hot, add the greens and stir to coat and season with salt and pepper. Let cook until just beginning to wilt, stirring occasionally. At this point, crack two eggs on the top of the layer of greens and cover with a large lid. Turn the heat to low and let the greens continue to cook and the eggs steam, or coddle, about three to four minutes till the whites are firm. Slide out of the pan onto a plate, give the eggs a shake of pepper and salt and dig in!

One bunch of rainbow chard cut into ribbons.

Crack a couple eggs on top of just beginning to wilt chard.

Cover and walk away for a few minutes.

Ta-Da! The chard is cooked, the egg whites are firm, and inside the yolks are still gooey.

Variations:
This also works with broccoli cut into bite size pieces. I used about 1/3 pound of broccoli, and a tbsp of butter instead of olive oil, though I had to toss in about a quarter of a cup of water into the pan in order to steam the broccoli before it started to brown too much.

Broccoli and Coddled Eggs.

Parmesan Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine

1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1/4 cup parmesan, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
In a jar with a tight fitting screw top lid, place minced garlic, salt, vinegar, lemon juice, basil, parmesan, and pepper. Screw on top of jar tightly, then shake till completely combined. Open lid, add the oil and shake again, vigorously, till dressing is emulsified.

Use to dress lettuces or other salad greens. This dressing goes especially well with spinach and arugula.

Create a salad that is a combination of half spinach, half arugula, toasted walnuts, and some crumbled feta.

Farm Greens Frittata

1/2 lb seasonal Synergy greens of your choice
8 large Synergy pasture-raised eggs
3/4 cup Heritage Farm Raw Milk
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 medium Synergy Stuttgarter onion, diced finely
2 cloves Synergy garlic, minced finely
4 4-inch sprigs fresh rosemary
4 4-inch sprigs fresh thyme
salt & pepper to taste
Quail Croft Goat Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Chop or tear your greens into bite sized pieces. The actual size is up to you and your mouth.

Beat eggs and milk in a bowl that's big enough for them. Add herbs (don't forget to get rid of stems or anything else you wouldn't want to bite into) and your cheese.

Add olive oil to a frying pan big enough for the greens. When it's hot, saute the onions and garlic until fragrant and the onions are translucent (4 or 5 minutes). If you're using two kinds of greens like chard and spinach, add in the "hardier" ones first (e.g. the chard) so they have a little more time to cook. Cook the greens till they're all evenly wilted (they should reduce in volume by 3x or more).

Pour those yummy greens in a buttered 9x11 pyrex dish or baking pan. Pour the eggy mix on top and stir so the greens are evenly distributed. Dollop on goat cheese or other delicious cheesy topping.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 on a middle rack, or until you can see the sides of your frittata are browning. Then move to a top rack and turn on the broiler. Keep it in another 2-3 minutes, checking often because it's easy to burn it quick!

Remove from the oven, and cut into generous squares.

Spinach in the spinner on harvest day at Synergy