"Best Spinach Ever"

While reviewing the gustatory delights of the day, yesterday, between the final episodes of Everwood on Amazon TV, my husband told me that the spinach I gave him for lunch was "the best ever".

There was no spinach in it, but it was leafy greens.

Beetroot leaves (however many are crisp and green on your bunch of organic beets)
Baby Arugula (two grabs with a clawed hand... which is no different from a handful)

Leafy fronds of carrot tops, snipped from the petiole.

Two curly kale leaves, freed from the stalk.

Spicy chicken stock (Swansons in the cardboard box).

Shake of garlic powder (not garlic salt) according to one's taste.

Dash of extra virgin olive oil.

Wash everything leafy, of course.

Dump it all into a saucepan.

Snip everything roughly but carefully.

Pour in enough chicken stock to lubricate the pan. (Maybe a cupful).

Add dash of olive oil.

Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat.

Stir in a shake of garlic powder

Leave on residual heat until it looks like a dark green mass.

Reheat portions as needed in ovenproof dish. This recipe will serve at least 4.

The secret is probably to substitute a good quality, tasty, spicy chicken stock for cooking water.

The humor is that many recipes say "add.... to taste". You can taste whatever the dish is perfectly well without adding that spicy ingredient. "To taste" means "according to your taste for the stuff" rather than "in order to taste".

During Covid, and for some post-Covid, some senses may be lost including the sense of smell or taste, so "to taste" may take on new meaning.

I apologize if this recipe is a little repetitive. I serve real beetroot every day. It really does help with an invalid's blood pressure.

If one is trying to get away from sugar and overly processed --or artificially colored-- commercial cereal, a variation on muesli can be delicious;

Original rolled raw Quaker Oats (or the Minute variety, which is just more finely minced).

One banana, sliced.

Blueberries, (about a cupful), washed

A cupful of boiling water

A cupful of Fage strained Greek yogurt.

Warm bowl.

Add fruit and yoghurt

Stir in the boiling water until yoghurt is a sauce-like consistency,

Shake in the oats and stir again until stew-like.  

Set aside at room temperature or in a Bain Marie for about an hour,

The oats will continue to take up liquid, so it will thicken.

This is quite delicious, and easy on digestion and sensitive teeth. Raw oats has more benefits for heart, cholesterol, weight loss, bowel movement, blood sugar control.

If you do not have a nut allergy, or sensitive teeth or sensitive gums, this recipe is improved with the addition of walnuts or flaked almonds, or sesame seeds or pine nuts, pecans .. even cashews.

All the best,

Rowena Cherry