You Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby!

A Half-Assed Vegan Post

In the 1936 movie Poor Little Rich Girl, Shirley Temple sang You Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby.

Although young Shirley wasn't enamored of the green stuff, I am. It's one of my favorite veggies, hands down! It's also very versatile. I love it raw or cooked. In salads, pasta, casseroles, and simply sauteed with a little garlic as a side dish. I often use it instead of lettuce on sandwiches and as a greens base for other salads.

And Popeye knew what he was doing when he popped a can for strength. This unassuming leafy green is packed with good stuff and super low in calories.

And it's quite tasty too!

I saw those eyes rolls out there! But trust me, spinach is super yummy if made right. I grew up eating canned spinach. I know, YUK! But even then I liked it. But once I got a taste of the fresh stuff, there was no turning back.

For those of you still not convinced, here's a vegan spinach dip recipe from Minimalist Baker that might change your mind.

However, when I make this, I make it as a side dish, like creamed spinach and use less "cream."  I've even spread this on toast and added sliced tomatoes to make a dynamite sandwich. Here's my revised recipe, based on the one from Minimalist Baker:

Sue Ann's Vegan Creamed Spinach

1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight then thoroughly drained
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 cups washed spinach, chopped
2 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an oven-safe serving dish with non-stick spray. 
• Add soaked and drained cashews to a blender with almond milk and puree into a cream. 
• Add  nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp salt and mix once more. Taste and adjust seasonings to your personal taste. Set aside. 
• In a large skillet over medium heat, saute garlic in olive oil and then add spinach. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until wilted, then remove from heat. 
• Add cashew cream and toss to combine. Add vegan Parmesan cheese and stir. If cream seems too thick, add a little water. 
• Add mixture to baking dish and top with a sprinkling of vegan parmesan, if desired. 
• Bake at 350 degree for 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through and sightly browned on top.

I might have to do a post on yams now.