Spinach

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I do most of the above... also I love to do Ham Florentine Appetizer Cups.  Always a hit and I usually get a ton of requests for the recipe.  I do use the extra garlic but will advice tasting the recipe first before adding it! 

You can use frozen boxed spinach and canned crescent rolls if you don't want to do cooked spinach and fresh bread dough.  I use a simple dinner roll recipe for the cups when I take the extra time, but in a pinch we go with the pillsbury brand light crescents.

Makes 24!

Ingredients:

Bread dough (any dinner roll will work fine), prepared ahead or 1 can crescent roll

2 1/2 cups cooked spinch (or 1 9oz box) cooked (or thawed) and drained

1/3c garlic & herb cheese spread

1/4c shredded mozzarella cheese (1oz)

3 Tbsp Romano cheese (fresh grated pref)

2 Tbsp shallot or onion (red onion works well), finely chopped

24 thin slices smoked ham

1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)

1/8 tsp salt (optional)

1/8 tsp pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix all ingredients except ham, dough, and parmesan garnish in a medium bowl until well blended and set aside. 

Roll dough thin (or unroll crescents) and separate into 4 rectangles.  Seal seams on crescents.  Cut each rectangle into 6 (2 inch) squares.  Press each square into the bottom and sides of a mini-muffin pan. 

Layer ham onto the dough in the cups.  If it's damp, pat dry with a paper towel before you set it onto the dough.  Top with one teaspoonful of the spinach and cheese mixture.

Bake for 14-18 minutes, cover with foil after 5 minutes so the ham doesn't over-brown.  Crust should be golden brown and filling will be hot so check it before pulling them out =)  Cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes and then remove.  Let them stand for another 5 minutes and then top with shaved parmesan cheese garnish if you'd like.

I like mixing mine with cottage cheese. Yum!

I love spinach in everything eggs, pasta, a salad (spinach, fresh strawberries purple onion and feta with basalmic vinagerette, my fave), you can make pesto with it instead of basil, thats really good.  Lets see though I love to stuff a chicken breast with wilted spinach, garlic and ff cream cheese.  That is awesome and then just bake it delicious!

Hey...can i find calorie information on CC for spinach prepared by cooking, then adding some milk some flour and maybe some garlic (or something aproximate).. I think those are ingrediants... I'm not a native english speaker so its sometimes really hard to find some stuff on CC

GREEN SMOOTHIES PEOPLE!!!!!! im surprised no one mentioned this. just use any recipie you want for your smoothie and add a bunch of washed spinach into it, but make sure you have a good amonut of liquid otherwise it woun't blend thoroughly.

banana + dates + natural yoghurt + milk + spinach + cinnamon = my favourite....  also silken tofu gives it an extra creaminess and texture if you don't want yoghurt. oh and you have to top it with walnuts otherwise you don't get the full 'banana cake' thing i go for! :D

when I add couscous to the boiling water (covered and removed from heat) I add torn spinach - lots of it! When the couscous is done poofing up I add some fresh lemon juice and feta cheese! Super yum.

Also spinach, onions, and red pepper sauteed in habanero olive oil then some eggs scrambled up with the mix.

Original Post by liney_line:

GREEN SMOOTHIES PEOPLE!!!!!! im surprised no one mentioned this. just use any recipie you want for your smoothie and add a bunch of washed spinach into it, but make sure you have a good amonut of liquid otherwise it woun't blend thoroughly.

I agree with this!  People get scared of the color, but think about it.  How much flavor does spinach usually have?  Especially when raw, you can add like 2 cups of the stuff before it even makes a difference!

Spinach+Pineapple is my favorite flavor combination.

Original Post by deflepfan16:

I like to mix it in my oatmeal with yummy spices and some broccoli for dinner!

I get SO many weird looks for it though =P

Oh my God, I thought I was the only one who put spinach in her oatmeal (savory and sweet). Honestly, I feel strangely connected to you!

I chop it up and use in scrambled eggs along with other veggies. I'll use in sandwiches in place of lettuce, I've used in in soups. 

There is (or was) a local East Indian restaurant here that made an excellent spinach with chikpeas (I've never quite duplicated the recipe0.

I usually prefer mine raw