Baked eggs are an attractive change from plain old scrambled or poached eggs! Spinach makes a perfect complement.

This recipe is an excellent way to use a large amount of spinach!

Ingredients: 

• 16-24 ounces spinach, chopped and steamed
• 7 ounces paneer cheese 
• 3 tbsp oil or butter
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 1″ piece of ginger, minced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 large tomatoes, or  one 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp Garam Masala (a spice mixture that can be found at some grocery stores, specialty stores, and Indian grocery stores)
• 1 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder
• Red Chili Powder – to taste
• Salt – to taste
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, or to taste
• Milk – to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Blend cooked Spinach to desired texture (avoid over-blending).
2. Heat 2 tbsp Oil in a medium non-stick pan on high heat.
3. Once Oil is hot, add in the minced Onions, stir, cover and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add in the Ginger and Garlic and mix. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
5. Add in the Tomates, cover and cook till the oil seperates from the mixture.
6. Keep stirring frequently as the Masala (Onion, Tomato, Ginger & Garlic mixture) tends to burn very fast.
7. While the Masala is cooking, cube the paneer to desired size (1/2″ cubes work well).
8. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp Oil.
9. Once Oil is hot, add in the paneer cubes and let them cook till they are golden brown on all sides.
10. Remove from the pan into a plate with paper towel to soak the excess oil.
11. In a couple of minutes, pour the Paneer into a bowl of cold water. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, once the Masala is prepared, add in the mashed Spinach.
13. Mix and add the Garam Masala, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt, Chili Powder & Turmeric Powder.
14. Mix well and cook for 3-5 minutes.
15. Add in the desired amount of Cream and /or Milk. Mix and cook for another few minutes.
16. Gently squeeze the water out of the Paneer and put the Paneer in the Spinach.
17. Mix gently and serve hot.
18. Serves 4 . Enjoy with Naan, Chapati, Paratha or Rice.

Want to a vegan version? Try this one, from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

Ingredients:

Serves about 4 as a side or appetizer

Ingredients:

• 1 pound small carrots (or large carrots cut in half lengthwise)
• One lime
• A handful cilantro
• A few pinches of cumin
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1  Preheat a grill to medium heat. (If you don’t have a grill, toss the carrots with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper, and roast at 400°F for 20 minutes.)

2  Wash the carrots. In a bowl, toss them with a bit of olive oil. Place the carrots on the grill and cook until the carrots turn paler in color and a bit wrinkled; flip over and cook the same amount (around 8 minutes total for small carrots, but the timing will depend on the thickness of the carrots). When fully cooked, the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork.

3  Wash and coarsely chop the cilantro.

4  When the carrots are done, place them in a bowl and toss them with juice from the lime, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, cilantro, and a few pinches of cumin.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 3 cups shredded parsnips
• 1 (1-inch long) piece fresh ginger, peeled and shredded
• 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream or evaporated skim milk
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Snipped fresh chives, optional, for garnish

Directions:

Preparation:Bring the carrots, parsnips, ginger, and stock to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender or food processor. Puree the soup until it is nearly smooth, then pour the puree back into the saucepan.

Add the cream, and bring to a simmer again over medium heat. Stir in the salt, white pepper, and lemon juice. Taste, and adjust the seasonings.

Garnish with chives, if you like. Serve hot, or refrigerate, covered, for several hours and serve chilled.

Yield: 4 servings.

This very moist, chewy muffin is similar to carrot cake in texture and flavor. You can mix the batter the night before, refrigerate it overnight, and then bake the muffins in the morning.

Makes 1 Dozen Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can use half whole-wheat flour and half-all purpose flour, if you’d like)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/3 cups sugar (or 3/4  cups honey)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups canola or safflower oil (or 1/2 cup oil plus half cup unsweetened applesauce)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 Granny Smith or other tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Line 12 large muffin cups with paper liners and spray the top part of the pan with vegetable oil spray.

3. Combine or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinamon in a a large bowl.

4. Whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

5. Add the carrots, apple, raisins, coconut, and pecans to the egg mixture and mix well to combine.

6. Add the flour mixture to the egg-carrot mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moist and blended. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick enough to mound slightly above the muffin pan line.

7. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan with a large ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup measure.

8. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

9. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the pan and serve immediately.

Note: These freeze really well.  Pop into a ziplock bag and throw into the freezer.  They heat up nicely in a toaster oven straight out of the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh spinach, washed and dried
• 1/2 cup (or to taste) fresh basil leaves, parsley leaves, or mint leaves
• Pinch organic sweetener, such as honey, or Stevia
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 10 kalamata olives, pitted

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Mixture can be used as salad dressing or marinade.

Ingredients

Saffron chicken broth

• 6 pounds chicken wings
• 16 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds onions, quartered
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons saffron threads
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Spinach matzo balls

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup unsalted matzo meal
• 10 ounces fresh spinach, steamed and squeezed dry, OR one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

Directions:

For saffron chicken broth:

Bring all ingredients to boil in very large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain broth into another pot. Spoon 1/4 cup fat from top of broth and place in medium bowl; add 1/4 cup broth. Cool fat mixture and reserve for matzo balls. Remove enough meat from chicken wings to measure 1 generous cup. Finely mince chicken; reserve for matzo balls. Chill remaining broth until ready to use. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

For matzo balls:

Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper into chicken fat mixture. Mix in matzo meal, then spinach and reserved minced chicken. Cover and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Bring large pot of generously salted water to boil. Using wet hands and about 2 tablespoons for each, shape matzo mixture into 16 balls; drop into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to 13x9x2-inch dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead; chill.)

Skim any fat from top of broth; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked matzo balls; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Ladle broth and 2 matzo balls into each of 8 bowls and serve.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 pound parsnips, peeled; halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
• 1/2 pound carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

In a skillet, combine the water, parsnips, carrots, and salt to taste. Simmer the vegetables for 15 minutes, or until they are just tender, and stir in the orange juice. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, and transfer the vegetables with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Boil the liquid until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the zest and the butter, stirring until the butter is melted. Spoon the sauce over the vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 large potatoes
• 1 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 bunch of green onions (white and green parts), finely chopped
• 1 cup of spicy greens, finely chopped
• 4-8 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Boil potatoes until tender. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, cover green onions and greens with milk. Stirring constantly, slowly bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and milk is just beginning to thicken. Take off heat and allow to infuse.

Peel and mash potatoes. Add potatoes to milk mixture and blend thoroughly. Whip in butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with pat of butter.

Can be made ahead and reheated in a 350 degree oven as long as it is tightly covered.