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Location: Northern California

Saturday, November 10, 2007

 

Honk if you heart spinach

While driving home from San Francisco yesterday, I saw a pick-up truck with "Honk if you heart spinach" written across the back.

I honked.

Family lore has it that when pregnant with me and my sister, my mother's favorite snack food was spinach. I don't know how she ate this leafy veggie, whether it was fresh in a salad or as a side dish to a bowl of ice cream, but I imagine that it was straight from the can and warmed up on the stove, since that's the only way I can remember spinach being served when I was a small child.

Now you have to remember that my mother gave birth to twins, two seven pound babies, a feat the details of which she has permanently removed from her memory banks because it was so horrible. Two seven pound babies in one tiny uterus is quite an accomplishment; clearly the spinach had something to do with it.

Here's an easy recipe and a good way to get an entire day's worth of vegetable servings in one sitting. I dedicate this recipe to my mother, who did her best to instill in me a love of spinach before I was even born.

Scrambled spinach with eggs

Olive oil spray (or butter)
One bag pre-washed baby spinach
3 eggs
cheese (optional)
seasoning salt
pepper
garlic powder


* Spray large skillet with olive oil spray. Warm over medium heat.

* Empty entire bag of spinach into skillet, stir to coat with spray and sprinkle with a little bit of garlic powder. Leave alone.

* Meanwhile, scramble three eggs. Add cheese if desired and a sprinkling of seasoning salt and pepper.

* Return to spinach, stirring until all is wilted and has become a mound of green goodness. This process takes only 3-5 minutes total.

* Add egg mixture to skillet with spinach, and stir to scramble. Take pan off heat when eggs have reached desired hardness.

* Serve with buttered toast or a warm tortilla. Especially good with salsa!

* Serves two.