This spinach never gets old

esther — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:03:00 +0200

Lately, I've been getting a little overwhelmed by all the food that seems to be invading my kitchen. I envy those people who can bake and cook to their hearts content and then load everything off on their families. I always seem to be left with enough food feed 10 armies when there is only just the two of us. And since I'm not the one leaving the house every morning to go to work and I feel very guilty throwing things away, I tend to be the one making the real sacrifices by polishing off whatever seems to be left over from the previous day’s baking adventure. I've tried to cut serves 6 to 8 down to serves 2 but it is honestly a major pain in the butt. I started doing a lot more individual portions which helps but in the end it just saves me the effort of cutting another slice. I try to give things away as often as possible but I somehow still always find myself faced with the same problem.

My new resolution is totally radical. I'm going to try to (gulp) make healthy food and maybe (dare I even attempt to say it) make fewer yes, FEWER baked goods. As a result, I've been going crazy with salads lately. They are perfect for dinner especially when you considering that we don’t usually sit down to eat until 9pm.

I have been non-stop craving this particular spinach salad for the last three months or so. It is a staple on my mental weekly menu list. Somehow the mix of baby spinach, grilled vegetables and cheese never gets old and always hits the spot. Sometimes, when I have it on hand and need something more than just veggies, I add warm orzo. This last time, I changed things up and added some bulgur which seems to be quite the trend these days.

Now I'm off to attempt two single serving rhubarb clafoutis with as few eggs and as little cream as possible. We'll see how that goes... Oops, that's a baked good isn't it?

Spring Spinach Salad!

1 small bag of prewashed baby spinach
2 small or one large chicken breast
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium zucchini
1/2 yellow onion
10 sun-dried tomatoes
1 poivrade*
1/2 cup cooked bulgur
handful black olives
pecorino cheese

In the morning prepare the marinade of fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and black pepper. Add the chicken and keep refrigerated until about an hour before you start to grill. Parboil the artichoke and reserve for later.

Begin by grilling the chicken and then the halved artichoke. While the grill is going, fry the sliced zucchini and onions in some olive oil. Set the bulgur to simmer in 1 1/4 cups salted water. This takes about 20 minutes. Slice or chop the rest of the ingredients.

The key to the salad is keeping the warm ingredients warm. Prepare the salad in individual bowls and finish off with curls of fresh pecorino cheese.

The sundried tomatoes, zucchini and chicken are so flavorful that you don't even need to dress the salad. Sometimes, for extra zip, I add just a splash of high quality balsamic.''

Makes 2 dinner size servings.

A poivrade (also know as the violet de provence) is a small very young artichoke. They are often sold in bouquets.

Boxcar Kitchen - Salad

This spinach never gets old