Spinach Pesto over Salmon

What I had:

• 2 lbs wild salmon filets
• lemon pepper seasoning
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, unsalted
• 3 cloves garlic
• juice from one lemon
• 1/4 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 cup packed spinach leaves
• black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup your favorite olive oil - I used spicy garlic infused olive oil

What I did:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning liberally over the filets
• Bake for 22 minutes
• While fish is in the oven, put everything else except oil into a food processor and pulse till combined and finely ground
• Pour the olive oil and pulse till everything is nicely mixed
• Throw a dollop over the fish and enjoy with your favorite vegetables on the side

That plate above was devoured by Oli, and anything he will eat right along with us is a huge hit in my books.

Spinach pancakes

or sneak some veggies into your breakfast pancakes :-)

What I had:

• 1 cup tightly packed spinach
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup flour of your choice (I used all purpose)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• spray/butter/oil for frying

What I did:

•  combined spinach, yogurt, egg and oil in a blender till smooth
• in another bowl, sifted the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt till well mixed
• slowly whisked wet ingredients into dry
• poured a tablespoon at a time on a greased iron griddle
• cooked till brown

Ate till gone!

Mac and cheese muffins

Or cupcakes, as Oli called them.

What I had:

• Ronzoni small elbow macaroni, entire box cooked al dente
• 3 oz shredded gruyere cheese
• 3 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 oz cut spinach (I used frozen, defrosted and drained)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder

What I did:

• Melted the butter over medium heat in a medium sauce pan
• Added the flour and whisked it fast to avoid clumping
• Poured the milk and garlic in, continuously whisking
• Brought it to a boil and added both cheeses, mixing till its a creamy cheese sauce
• Mixed the pasta, spinach and cheese sauce in a large bowl till everything is covered in cheese
• Poured heaping spoonfuls into a greased muffin pan
• Baked at 400 for 15 minutes
• Let sit for 5 minutes before taking the muffins out

Next time, I would add more cheese. I think I used more pasta than the original recipe did here.

Slow cooker spinach chicken

What I used:

• 1 stick butter sliced
• 1 pack Costco chicken filets (about 1.5 lbs)
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped small
• 1 pack frozen spinach
• garam masala
• ground coriander
• ground cumin
• ground red chili pepper
• 1 cup yogurt (I used Greek)

What I did:

• Layer butter slices on the bottom of slow cooker
• Break up frozen spinach and sprinkle on butter
• Place frozen chicken on top
• Sprinkle garlic, onion and mushrooms over and around the chicken
• Sprinkle garam masala (I started with 2 tablespoons but I doubled it by the end)
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon each of the coriander, cumin, and pepper
• Cook on high for 4 hrs
• Pull chicken out and break into smaller pieces
• Add yogurt to the sauce in crock pot and mix well, taste and adjust spices if needed
• Add chicken back in and serve over rice or with naan