CHEESE SPINACH BALLS

Ingredients

Spinach leaves 300 gms, Bread crums, Grated Mozzarella cheese , Red chilly flakes, Fine chopped onion, Corn flour, Grated garlic, salt and oil for brushing

Instructions

1. Make spinach puree by making a paste of boiled spinach leaves,  and mix it with  bread crumbs, bread crumbs, grated mozarella, corn flour, garlic and some salt and roll them into small balls.

2. For the cheese fillings, mix cheese, chilly flakes and fine chopped onions and roll them into small balls, place them inside the spinach bills such that the spinach balls cover the cheese balls evenly from all sides. roll the ball and keep it aside.

3. Brush them with oil and air fry at 200 degrees in the air fryer for 10-15 minutes . Serve them hot and crisp with red tomato sauce.

Spinach and Parmesan Quinoa

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Here's a delicious healthy side dish, that's sure to please and goes with everything from grilled chicken and fish to baked pork chops. It's a favorite of mine to serve with simply marinated and grilled lamb chops.

Other than a side dish, this would also make a terrific vegetarian lunch idea or as part of a Meatless Monday supper.

Serves 6

Bring to a boil over low heat:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups water

Cover and simmer very slowly for 15 to 20 minutes until the grains are cooked but still a little firm to the bite. As in cooking rice I like to keep the pot covered tightly, turn off the burner in the last five minutes and let it it sit: then fluff with a fork when it's done.

In a wok or large saute pan add:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 small minced shallot

Saute for a moment to soften the shallot and garlic then add:

• 1 small red, yellow or orange bell pepper
• 1/2 cup pitted olives (optional)
• 1 small diced de-seeded tomato
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Saute for only a minute or to heat the peppers through, then remove from the heat and toss in:

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Toss together well until the spinach wilts and serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and shards of Parmesan as a garnish.

Spinach and Parmesan Quinoa

Spinach Pesto Pappardelle

Spinach Pesto Pappardelle

I'd never made spinach pesto before but with half a large bag desperately in need of being put to good use I decided to give it a try for lunch. The kids in particular loved it and Olivia even had the pasta for lunch again the next day.

I was a little worried about using the spinach completely fresh as you would use basil in pesto, mainly because I wanted to preserve the color, so I blanched it and patted it dry between layers of paper towels. That method worked like a charm and the color was just as bright and inviting in the leftover refrigerated pesto even 2 days later.

This recipe is a great way to get the kids to eat their spinach and makes for a great side dish as well as a delicious lunch.

• about 4 cups baby spinach leaves (1 cup wilted spinach)

Have a large bowl of ice water standing by. Drop the spinach into boiling water for only about 30 seconds. Drain immediately and plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and lay the spinach out on a few layers of paper towels and pat them dry before adding them to a blender or food processor along with:

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• pinch black pepper
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 cloves finely minced garlic

I toast the pine nuts in the oven on a cookie sheet for a few minutes but you can toss them in a non stick saute pan for a couple of minutes until they begin to brown a little. Either way, watch them carefully, they can burn quickly. Process on medium speed until the spinach and other ingredients begin to form a paste, then reduce the speed to low and begin slowly drizzling in:

• 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

If you want to use the pesto as a dip you can cut back on the amount of olive oil to make it thicker.

Makes enough pesto to coat about 1/2 pound dry pasta when cooked, like pappardelle; enough for 4 servings.

Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Spinach Pesto

Grilled Greek Flatbread Pizza

One of our family's favorite summer meals is pizza from the backyard grill. We make batches of flatbread dough and freeze individual sized portions of it to use when we need it. For a quick workday meal, we take the dough out of the freezer in the morning and let it defrost during the day so that it is ready for the grill when we get home.  Barbeque chicken or pulled pork pizza are a couple of particular favorites and a great way to use up leftover steak too in a steak and tomato pizza. I've even made a pesto and shrimp pizza using this method. The possibilities are endless and you can use whatever is on hand. When we have friends over for a barbeque, we also often serve these as a casual appetizer course before folks sit down to the main meal.

This past week our dinner pizza was inspired by a Greek Salad and this incredibly tasty version certainly did not disappoint. We used the same dough for the pizza as we recently used for the burger buns in our recently featured Double Crunch Fried Chicken Parmesan Burgers and topped it with delicious high quality toppings for a very, very flavourful meal. The only caution with making pizza on the grill is to not overly crowd the pizza with too much topping. These pizzas cook quickly and you will want to heat the toppings well before the bottom browns too much. Use really tasty toppings that pack plenty of flavour punch; quality over quantity is the key to a successful grilled pizza.

Parmesan Herb Pizza Dough

3 cups flour
1 pkg (5 grams) instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano, chives, basil and rosemary)

Makes 12 burger buns

Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour along with the sugar, instant yeast, cheese and herbs and salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a large electric mixer that uses a dough hook. Add the melted butter and warm milk. Using a wooden spoon or the regular paddle of your electric mixer beat for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. If using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook at this point and begin to slowly incorporate the remaining  flour. If not using an electric mixer keep mixing in the flour gradually until a soft dough forms that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto the counter top or bread board to knead. You may need to use a little less or a little more flour, this is not uncommon. Knead the dough for an additional 10 minutes either in the electric mixer or on a bread board or counter top.

Cover dough and leave to rest and rise for one hour. Punch the dough down and knead it for a few minutes by hand before letting it rest for another 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into about 6 ounce portions, rolling them into balls. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes before rolling out on a breadboard to about 8 inch circles.

Preheat your gas grill to medium low heat. Preheat your gas grill to about medium low heat and place the rolled dough portions a couple at a time directly on the grill. Watch these carefully, adjust the temperature and move them around on the grill as needed.  When bubbles appear it's time to flip them over and grill for about another minute.

To prepare individual pizzas, turn off the burner/s on one side of the grill and place a flatbread or two on the other side. Brush the top with garlic oil. You can find a simple method of making your own garlic oil here.

Top the pizzas with

baby spinach leaves

feta cheese, full fat works best here

sliced red onion

sliced sweet red peppers

sundried pitted kalamata olives

chopped fresh oregano

Close the cover on the grill and let cook for about 5 minutes or until the pizza is crispy on the bottom and the cheese warmed and softened. If you like you can drizzle a little good balsamic vinegar over the top before slicing and serving.

Orzo Spinach Prima Vera

Serves 6

1 ½ cups orzo
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
½ medium red onion, julienned
½ medium red pepper, julienned
2 cups chopped raw spinach
1 large tomato diced
Salt and pepper to season
1 tsp lemon zest finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped basil

Cook the orzo to al dente, about 9 minutes in salted boiling water. Strain in a colander.

Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Stir fry the onions and garlic for a minute or two. Add the red peppers and stir fry for an additional minute.

Throw in the cooked orzo, raw spinach, tomatoes, lemon zest and basil and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine. Serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan.

Turkey Cranberry and Spinach Wellington

Turkey Cranberry and Spinach Wellington

Turkey Cranberry and Spinach Wellington

A holiday Turkey alternative, especially for just a few people or an easy but impressive dish to prepare in advance for a dinner party.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40-50 minutes
Total time: about 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 sheet, (12 x 12 inches) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds uncooked turkey breast
• 4 cups spinach
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tbsp dry summer savoury (or 1 tbsp dry sage)
• salt and pepper to season
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 egg + 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp water (beaten together for an egg wash)

Cooking Directions

1. Begin by sautéing the garlic in the olive oil and butter for a minute or two. Add the spinach and stir fry just until the spinach is completely wilted. This will only take a minute or two.
2. Press the excess water from the spinach by pressing it in a sieve or some cheesecloth.
3. Place this pastry sheet on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the cranberries along the center line of the pastry sheet. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash. Place the turkey on top of the cranberries and the spinach over the turkey. Sprinkle the spinach with the dry savoury.
4. Bring the edges of the dough together and pinch to seal. Do the same for the ends of the dough to seal as well. Roll the entire thing over so that the seam is on the bottom.
5. Brush the egg wash over the entire surface of the pastry. Cut 3 to 4 one inch slots in the top of the pastry to let steam escape.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40-50 minutes until the pastry is evenly golden brown all over. Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the center has reached at least 170 degrees F to be sure the turkey is completely cooked. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into individual servings.