Getting Better all the Ti-i-i-ime

About a month ago, I made spinach-leaf sushi, and enjoyed it immensely. But wilting the leaves was tedious. I was doing it one at a time, because when you cook it all at once, it globs together, and isn't so great as a substitute for nori.

Well as I was getting ready to make it a second time, I realized I could do it all at once in the microwave.

Line a plate with plastic wrap, and spray with a nonstick spray. Lay the spinach so that each leaf overlaps by about half with the leaves around it.

Microwave until the spinach just begins to wilt, about 30-40 seconds. If any holes open up, simply cover with another spinach leaf, then microwave another 10 seconds.

From here, it's just like any other sushi...fill with rice...

Add your filling...

Roll, slice, and serve!

Couscous with Spinach and Feta

This recipe is such an old favorite, I can't believe I haven't' shared it with you before. The ingredient list is a little lengthy, but every ingredient is worth it, and it really doesn't take that long to prepare, unless you're cooking the meat while you make dinner. I usually use some leftover meat - just about anything will do. The original recipe called for chicken, but I love it with leftover lamb, beef, or even venison.

Couscous with Spinach and Feta

Ingredients:

• 8-12 ounces beef, chicken, or lamb, cooked
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup gluten-free couscous (I use this. If you're not gluten-free, regular or Israeli couscous would be good too)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Zest of one lemon, plus the juice
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 6-8 ounces baby spinach
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

In a medium pot, saute the shallot in the olive oil until it begins to soften. Toss in the garlic, half the lemon zest, and red pepper flakes, and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the couscous and toast for about one minute. Add 1 cup water (or the amount recommended on the package), and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and let sit about 15 minutes, or until the couscous is cooked.

When the couscous is cooked, stir in the spinach, a handful at a time, until it is all wilted. Remove the pan from heat, and stir in the meat and half the feta cheese.

Divide between two plates. Top with the remaining feta cheese and drizzle with the remaining lemon zest and lemon juice.

Makes two generous or three modest portions. Can easily be doubled (or tripled) to serve more people. Keeps well one or two days in the fridge.

Spinach-Avocado Sushi

I've discovered the secret to making sushi with leafy vegetables as a wrap instead of sushi nori - wilt the leaves first! If the leaves are still fresh and crunchy, they don't like to stick to each other or the rice. But when you wilt them slightly, then lay them flat on top of each other, they make a pretty nice sheet for sushi. If you're going to try this, you'll need either large spinach leaves or to lay the leaves several deep and wide - you want it wide enough to wrap all the way around your filling.

A yummy alternative if you don't have nori on hand! Enjoy!

Rice Crust Quiche

 I'm loving Shauna James Ahern's newest cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl Everyday. She and her husband seem to cook by the motto, "Try every recipe once as it's written. Then you can play with it." Great advice, but something I'm not that great at, truth be told.

Luckily for me, this recipe still turned out great. I've been making quiche for a while, so I've got the jist of it. But I've never made a rice crust for a quiche. It's pretty basic, and a heck of a lot easier than making pastry. If I'm honest, there are weeks where I skip the quiche altogether because I simply don't feel like going to the trouble to make the crust.

Not anymore.

I didn't make the quiche from the cookbook (or even the crust recipe as it was written), but I benefited all the same from the recipe. I'll try it exactly as written sometime. I promise.

Here, I used dirty rice that had been sitting in the fridge all week. And since there wasn't that much of it left, I only used one egg to bind it together instead of two.  I cooked up some spinach and onions, threw in some cheese, and used only about one cup of cream for the quiche filling. 

It's delicious. And easy (even if it does take a long time to cook, it's pretty light on the prep work).

A.S.S. Sandwich (Avocado, Salami, Spinach)

I don't eat sandwiches that often anymore. Not many lunch meats agree with my stomach. Plus, there's something sad about sandwiches you bring to work - the lettuce wilts, the cheese melts into the sandwich, and you can only have so many toppings. Plus, there's nothing worse than stale or soggy bread.

But occasionally I like to have a real sandwich with all the fixings. Mayo all around. Cooked onions on one side, cheese and salami on the other. Sprinkle on some chili powder, salt and pepper. Toast. 

Add some sliced avocado, then some spinach.

Put it all together, and then hang on tight to slice it in half.

 Enjoy in the sunshine.

And the Kitchen Sink

We all have those recipes, the ones that are the basis of our culinary repertoire. The ones we go back to when there's not much in the pantry, when we really don't feel like cooking.

For me, one of those recipes is simply buttered noodles. A little salt, a little garlic, lots of butter, and I'm happy.

Later on, I learned a recipe that added shallots, crushed red pepper, breadcrumbs, and a sunny side up egg to that mix. It's still a favorite. Here's that recipe, dressed up with some spinach and cheese. It was everything that was in my fridge that night.

Everything Pasta

Everything in this recipe (especially the spice quantities) is a suggestion. Don't like something? Leave it out. Like it a lot? Use a little more. Want to serve more people? Use more pasta, and figure one egg per person. You'll also need more breadcrumbs. The only thing that's really not negotiable is to salt the pasta water really well. Like a tablespoon of salt, at least. Trust me, if you do, the pasta will taste so good you'll be running back to the pantry to make sure you bought gluten-free pasta. It's that good.

Serves Two.

• 1/4 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 ounces gluten-free noodles (I like these)
• 1 shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup spinach, julienned
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces cheese, grated
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spread the breadcrumbs out on a baking sheet and season with parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Toss with one tablespoon olive oil. Put in the oven, checking every three to five minutes and re-spreading the contents of the pan each time you check. Remove when the breadcrumbs are starting to brown.

Meanwhile, start the pasta water. When the water reaches a rolling boil, add in the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring frequently. Strain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, heat one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the shallots, garlic, and red pepper, sauteeing until the onions begin to be translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add in the spinach, stirring until it just begins to wilt. Remove the contents of the pan to two bowls, then wipe down the pan. Sprinkle lemon juice over the shallot mixture.

Add remaining olive oil to pan and cook the two eggs sunny side up.

Toss the pasta with the shallot mixture, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Top each bowl with one egg. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.