Spinach

Spinach Frittata

September 24, 2019 By Diane Boyd

This low carb frittata makes a delicious addition to a brunch menu, and a lean source of protein at dinner or a post workout meal. Balance your plate with a tossed salad, some fresh fruit, and whole grain roll.

My favorite quote of the day, “You are what you eat; so don’t be fast, easy, cheap, or fake.”

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, just happens to be the title of a presentation I’m giving at the end of September. I’ll encourage my audience to adopt 5 positive habits to live their healthiest lives. Here’s a sneak peak two:

Eat Breakfast. Starting the day with breakfast is the ultimate engergy booster. Breakfast helps with weight control, eliminates the need for sugar fixes later in the day, and improves performance at school, work, or in the gym.

Eat Real Food. Sounds so basic, right? Yet some people tend to rely on supplements, in lieu of eating a balance diet. The nutrients in real foods are better absorbed. Real food beats engineered food on taste, and food supplies all the nutrients you need. As a matter of fact, food supplies some nutrients for which there are no supplements… SPOILER ALERT: phytonutrients. Phytonutrients, or phytochemicals are disease fighting substances and are found only in grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.

Are you ready to live your healthiest life? I’m posting a delicious recipe for spinach frittata to get you started implementing the above habits. If so, It comes together in only 30 minutes, and can be made ahead of time! It’s low in carbs, high in protein and packed with spinach and roasted red peppers. I make it a balanced breakfast with the addition of fruit and yogurt. I also serve this frittata at dinner with a whole grain roll, fresh fruit and a tossed salad topped with roasted shallots and peppers and drizzled with a blackberry vinaigrette.

I hope you’ll give it a try. More importantly, I hope you’ll commit to eating breakfast, and enjoying wholesome, good for you foods!

Spinach Frittata

Author: Diane Boyd
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Category: breakfast
Method: baking

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• one 10 oz. package triple washed organic spinach

• 1 cup egg whites

• 3 whole eggs

• 1/4 cup crumbled low fat feta cheese

• 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

• 1/4 cup sliced roasted red peppers

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place a medium saute pan over medium heat; add olive oil. Saute spinach until wilted; remove from heat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and egg whites. Gradually add the remaining ingredients; mix well.
Pour mixture into 9 inch glass baking pie plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. When the egg mixture is fairly set, uncover and continue to bake another 5 – 10 minutes .
Cut into triangles and serve.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/3 frittata
Calories: 290
Sugar: 2 grams
Sodium: 810 mg
Fat: 20 grams
Saturated Fat: 6 grams
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 7 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Protein: 23 grams
Cholesterol: 205 mg

Linguine with Clams and Baby Spinach

November 2, 2015 By Diane Boyd

Bring health to the holiday table.. let vegetables, like baby spinach, ante up the color, texture and nutritional value of your favorite pasta meals.
Disclosure: I was asked to participate in the Pasta Fits campaign as a member of the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network. I was compensated for my time.

While reading the brillantly photographed magazine, Sift , I came upon a wonderful quote, written about pie..

In my opinion, the same could be said of pasta. If you’ve been following the the #pastafits campaign, you’ll recall it began in September, when kids were heading back to school. I shared Fusilli with Broccoli and Peanuts, an easy to prepare recipe for after those hectic school days, with a bonus (leftovers pack well for school lunches)! When we turned the calendar and fall produce filled my CSA box, I made a Warm Minestrone Pasta Salad using fresh butternut squash. This meal was so versatile it could be served at a luncheon, and with a slight variation, it was tailgate ready. Now it’s time to show you how #pastafits into your holiday spread, by teaming it with colder weather vegetables, in a dish that will usher in the comfort and joy of a homecooked meal that’s both delicious and nutritious.

The stretch from Thanksgiving to December holiday prep is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, also known as the worst time of year for your waistline. But don’t get Grinchy for fear of putting on a few extra pounds. Reseach shows there are potentially effective ways to minimize holiday weight gain, including bringing health to your holiday table with more fruits and vegetables. Here are three tips to integrate more produce into your holiday spread and keep the holiday spirit high:

1. Use fruit or vegetable purees in place of up to one-half of the fat in holiday baked goods.

2. Use fruits and vegetables as a hidden ingredient; chop, puree, grate or simply add to sauces, soups, pasta, sandwiches, dips, and spreads. Puree vegetables, like broccoli, make terrific pasta sauces. Try pureed roasted red pepper or pumpkin in a risotto.

3. Use fruits and vegetables to give an obvious burst of color and texture to sandwiches, soups, stews and pasta. Today I’m adding fresh baby spinach to create a culinary star in my makeover of linguine with clams. If it was summer, I’d add ribbons of zucchini. Colder weather creates new choices for seasonal vegetables including: spinach, kale, mustard greens, and microgreens. Any of these would work with this recipe; it’s a matter of preference or what you have on hand.

I n addition to using spinach to boost the volume, nutrition and satisfaction of this dish, I’m also substituting whole wheat pasta for refined semolina. Whole wheat pasta is a great way to incorporate more whole grains into my diet. Maintaining a healthy body weight while getting older means focusing on nutrient rich foods and making every calorie count, especially during the holidays. A one cup portion of whole wheat pasta provides up to 25% of daily fiber requirements.

This season, as you plan your holiday feasts, remember the formula for healthier meals in a matter of minutes = pasta + seasonal vegetables + lean protein. Enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season!

Linguine with Clams and Baby Spinach

Baby spinach ante ups the color, texture and nutritional value of this linguine with clams pasta meal.

Author: Diane Boyd
Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, chopped (whites only)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups, dry white wine
2 dozen small littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound whole wheat linguine
4 cups raw spinach

Instructions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until the vegetables are tender. Add garlic and cook one additional minute. Add white wine to the pan. Bring to a boil and add clams. Cover and cook until clams open, about 3 to 5 minutes .

2. Transfer steamed clams to a bowl ; tent with foil to keep warm. Continue to cook wine mixture until it is is reduced to about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of liquid. (This will take about 2o minutes). Add salt to taste.

3. Prepare pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done, drain and add to pan with wine sauce; toss. Add in fresh spinach and toss again. Transfer to a large shallow platter. Top with clams. Serve immediately.

Sautéed Spinach with Sweet & Savory Granola

December 11, 2014 By Diane Boyd

Inspired by the dish indigenous to Rome and Southern Italy, this classic sautéed spinach is reinvented with the addition of a sweet and savory granola including California Raisins, Fennel Seeds and Pine Nuts.Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board and I am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

From blinking lights to glittery tops, life gets more festive this time of year. For me, this excitement carries over to the kitchen with plans for holiday food favorites mixed in with new culinary traditions. Speaking of which, here’s one we should all adopt:

Festive recipes that are both delicious and include more nutrition for a less indulgent holiday.

It just so happens to be the theme of the Recipe Redux‘s holiday contest sponsored by California Raisins. But is it really possible during the holidays? Absolutely, and one way is to include wholesome ingredients, such as California raisins, in your holiday foods and baked goods. This dried-by-the-sun fruit is the all natural way to add flavor and healthfulness, and the ingredient label says it all: Raisins.

The nutrition label reads: zero fat, zero cholesterol and no added sugar. Plus raisins contribute 9% of your daily fiber and potassium, and 6% of your daily iron (per quarter cup).

Because raisins are both portable and convenient, I also like them as a to-go snack (a healthier alternative to candy and chocolate). Talk about a good value, according to the USDA, raisins are the most economical dried fruit.

So let’s talk holidays and ideas for festive food. Woot! Woot! While I paged thru my coveted new book, Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi, I craved to show YOU how to add sparkle and good nutrition to YOUR holiday table with vibrant vegetables. So today’s recipe begins with these simple ingredients… …and it was inspired by the classic dish found in Rome and Southern Italy, sautéed spinach with golden raisins and pine nuts. It’s so easy to sautée spinach. Top it with the satisfiying crunch of a ‘make ahead of time’ granola that includes fennel, pine nuts and golden California raisins, and your done. But you won’t be done with this granola, trust me! You’ll want to sprinkle it on more vegetables, like an arugula salad ; add it to soups instead of crackers, like this California Sweetpotato Fennel Soup; use it on soft cheese for a delightful and fun appetizer (say tuned for my next post); and share with friends and co-workers a for wonderful DIY foodie gift. Please be sure check out the links at the bottom of this post for more ideas to add a festive, yet healthy touch, to your holidays!

Sautéed Spinach with Sweet and Savory Granola

Sauteed Spinach with Granola and Raisins

Sautéed spinach is reinvented with the addition of a sweet and savory granola including California Raisins, Fennel Seeds and Pine Nuts.

Author: Diane Boyd
Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

for the granola

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 Tablespoons Red Quinoa
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 Tablespoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 egg white
1/2 cup golden California raisins

for the sautéed spinach

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups packed baby spinach
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
4 tablespoons granola (recipe above)

Instructions

for the granola

1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl combine oats, quinoa, pine nuts, fennel seed, sea salt honey. Stir.

3. In a small bowl whisk together egg white and oil. Add to oat mixture. Stir well to combine.

4. Spread mixture on a nonstick foil lined baking sheet.

5. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes until golden (about 20-25 minutes).

6. Cool. Add golden raisins. Mix to combine.

for the sauteed spinach

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach in three additions, tossing occasionally until greens are tender, 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons granola. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Spinach Frittata

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition

Linguine with Clams and Baby Spinach

Ingredients

Instructions

Sautéed Spinach with Sweet and Savory Granola

Ingredients

Instructions

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