Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Spinach Cakes

I'm not at all Irish, oh uff da no! But I am cursed with curls, freckles, and green eyes so I could probably pass for Irish if I wanted to. I'd love to hang out in a pub and have a pint with some leprechauns!

But I certainly wouldn't go Irish for the food...nothing about it is appetizing to me. Bangers and mash? Um, no. And whoever came up with the idea of corned beef was seriously disturbed. When did corn become a verb? Can you corn other things - like corned halibut? Can other vegetables be verbs? Can you make cauliflowered chicken? I'll pass.

I celebrated today in my own way not with Irish food, but with green food. These spinach cakes taste kind of like grass, and I mean that in a good way. When the temps are flirting with 60 for the first time and the sun is shining, I crave super light, healthy and nutritious meals. This certainly fits the bill.

The original recipe calls for fresh spinach and ricotta cheese. You could also do frozen spinach. However, I found bags of baby spring greens at my local grocery store for only 99 cents each so I used that with cottage cheese. They did turn out a tiny bit watery so I would recommend squeezing the greens in a kitchen towel after chopping.

Along with the spinach cakes, I had some multi-grain crackers spread with goat cheese.
Oh yeah, and a huge can of Guinness.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Spinach Cakes, adapted from Eating Well magazine
3 bags fresh spinach or baby spring greens, chopped in food processor and liquid squeezed out
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg
a few dashes of hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes

Mix together ingredients and press into a greased muffin tray. I had enough for 7 muffins but I probably filled them a little too full. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

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