Recipes during Coronavirus Pandemic

In these coming weeks, we fall heavy on our pantry and now is a great time to clean out and rebuild the spice collection.
I cleaned out mine this week and found a few treasures I had purchased at farmer’s markets. I found one from CA, called Shawarma.*
Man, I put it on everything! The first night was on lightly steamed sweet potatoes. I melted some butter (ok I melted a lot of butter) and added salt and shawarma and poured it over the sweet potatoes and boy was that delicious. Then I did the same thing with cauliflower and broccoli. Shawarma is meant to be for a marinated meat, but who is to know?

Shawarma*
Similar to Kitchen Porch’s Raz El Hanout, Shawarma has garlic, fenugreek, cardamon, oregano and chili powder. Raz el hanout and Shawarma both have cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.
This week I made cauliflower and rice and creamed Spinach and we sat at the table devoured it. It truly is the ultimate in comfort food. So simple and so quick to make and we had left overs for 3 more meals!

Eggs and Spinach – This serves 2
Here is an “over easy” breakfast recipe with an explanation on why each ingredient is critical to our health. We make sure we get one onion a day (raw or undercooked in our diets*)
1 onion, cut into half and slice 1/2 of it thinly, and cook. Chop the the other half and serve it raw on top of the eggs.
For extra fat and potassium, save this dish with 1/2 sliced avocado.

2 Tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 one whole onion, peeled and cut in half
1/2 cup water
1lb of spinach (you could easily replace with kale, beets, dandelion)
4 organic eggs from pastured hens
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Your favorite spice blend to top- I love za’atar (sesame, thyme, sumac), but you could use curry, or shawarma or cumin….

In a heavy pot, over medium heat, add butter or olive oil.
Add 1/2 the sliced onion and allow to cook for one minute. Then add 1/2 cup of water and return to a simmer. Add 1lb of spinach and mix well and put a lid on the pot for about 30 seconds. As soon as the spinach wilts, crack 4 eggs over the spinach and put a lid on it for 6-8 minutes depending on if you like a soft boiled egg or a more firm egg. A well cooked egg will take 8 minutes. Scoop the spinach and eggs out and serve on two plates. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar on each dish and sprinkle your favorite spice.

Onions are an excellent source of healthful chemicals: vitamin C, flavonoids, antioxidants, and sulfur compounds. Onions are nutrient powerhouses, whether eaten cooked or raw; however, raw onions have higher levels of sulfur compounds. Onions have antioxidants and compounds that fight inflammation, decrease triglycerides and reduce cholesterol levels — all of which may lower heart disease risk. They have potent anti-inflammatory properties and anti-bacterial activity(1) (2) Are raw onions more nutritious than cooked onions? Onions form sulfur compounds through an enzymatic reaction when cut or crushed which may protect against cancer, help lower blood sugar, and reduce the production of unhealthy cholesterol in the body. Eat your onions raw for maximum sulfur content, as cooking onions significantly decreases the quantity of the compound. It’s the sulphur that gives the onion its strong odor and causes you to cryyou slice it.
Add raw onions wherever you can: sliced on salads or cooked vegetables or onto of cooked meats. If you can’t handle (the pungent taste of raw onions, lightly cooked onions still provide a myriad of health benefits.

Apple Cider Vinegar can help kill pathogens, including bacteria (3) And some studies have shown that consuming vinegar after a high-carb meal can improve insulin sensitivity by as much as 34% and reduce blood sugar levels significantly ((4),

Spinach One cup (156 grams) of frozen spinach contains 540 mg of potassium (recommend 4500 mg) is also an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and folate as well as being a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2. It is difficult to find vegetables richer in vitamin K than spinach. Without a doubt, spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables around.
Good sources of Potassium are also avocado and sweet potatoes

Za’atar (thyme and sesame and sumac) has a good ability to improve the immune system, boost skin health, build strong bones, increase circulation, clear out the respiratory tracts, soothe inflammation, boost energy and improve mood.

These ingredients are all easy keepers and make for great go to meals.
Cauliflower Rice & Creamy Spinach the ultimate in comfort foods!

Cauliflower Rice

1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut in half. Slice each half very thin. One sliced, rough cut in the opposite direction to end up with small pieces. These are not as small as recipe, but small.
In a large bottom pot, (like a lecrueset) add 1 cup water and butter and olive oil and 12 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer and then add the chopped cauliflower. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir well and serve with the creamy spinach!

Super Easy Creamed Spinach
1 pound ( feeds 2 people with lots of left overs!)

1 pound fresh spinach

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion cut into 1/2 and sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt

If using spinach that still has the crown on it, you will need to wash it well to remove the sand. Otherwise, baby spinach is well washed and will work perfectly.
Put 2/3 cup of water in a large heavy bottom pot with llid and add the olive oil and the butter.
Add the onion and the garlic and allow to cook until soft. Add the spinach and mix it well with the liquid and onion garlic mixture. Put the lid on the pot and steam the spinach until it is wilted. About 3 minutes. A blender works best, but you could use a food processor. Pour 1/2 cup cream into the bottom of the blender and transfer the spinach to the blender. Leave a tablespoon of the spinach onion mixture behind in the pot for garnish. Add nutmeg and salt. Blend. Pour and scoop into a bowl and place a few spoons of the spinach and onions from the pot on top as garnish.
Serve with Cauliflower Rice.