Glorious Steamed Spinach

Spinach is a staple in my house. It's a wonderfully passive yet nutrious ingredient in Green Smoothies, makes for an easy base in a basic salad, and this recipe is another reason why we always have spinach in the house. This recipe is inspired by a dish at the "Curious Palate" in Venice. Everyone in the house eats this right up!

Spinach (I do about 5 monster handfuls)

Almonds (Around 1 handful)

Garlic (4 de-shelled)

Oil (a little splash-optional)

salt (a pinch-optional)

I can't find my steamer so I've been putting a metal colander into a pan, and steaming the veggies that way. It works, so there you have it. Place a couple inches of water into a pan, put your steamer or colander into the pan and turn the heat onto a medium temperature. Throw in the spinach, garlic and almonds (you can chop those up if you want... I don't... every eater fends for themselves in this house!). You may need to wait to add all of the spinach until the spinach you have added wilts a bit. After the spinach is a bright dark green, remove ingredients and place them into a mixing bowl and add the oil and salt and mix it all up. You may need to drain your spinach first if it's crazy soaked. The garlic adds a subtle flavor and the almonds add a subtle texture. It's a delicate, yummy, nutritious side dish that is way more delicious than it has any business being.

Green Smoothie for the babe!

I have had the darnedest time trying to get my lil 14 month old to eat raw greens. Finally it hit me! Green smoothie for baby! Duh! She gets one everyday and chugs it like it's going out of style. Now to work on her dad getting his greens...

Baby's smoothie

banana

a handful of spinach

4 ounces of H2o

2 cubes of ice

Blend! Fits perfectly into her Munchkin Sippy cup too!!

Here's a site about the health benefits of spinach; http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/11-health-benefits-of-spinach.html