Eating green leafy vegetables every day is an important part of a whole foods plant based diet. Here are 3 basic recipes using baby spinach, but you can easily substitute any other greens you have on hand.
All of the plant based gurus recommend that we consume a couple/few cups of leafy greens each day. There are many ways to do this, but I thought it might be helpful to put together 3 Spinach Recipes that are quick, easy and just a little more interesting than the same-0 same-0.
Miso Glazed Spinach
The first is sauteed spinach with a Asian Miso glaze that is topped with either some furikake, or sesame seeds. Furikake is typically used in Japan to season rice. It consists of sesame seeds and toasted nori flakes. The nori offers a salty “sea” flavor (light) and contains iodine which is essential. If that’s not your thing, regular sesame seeds work perfectly well.
Spinach with Golden Shallots and Lemon Zest
This is a very simple recipe with a lot of punch. Shallots have a soft garlicky-onion flavor which is always a highlight for greens. The lemon zest offers some brightness and a hit of vitamin C to help the body absorb the iron in the veg. Shallots are also wonderfully anti-inflammatory, as are all alliums. It’s always a benefit to get them into your diet any way you can.
Plant Based Creamed Spinach
This recipe is a take on the classic creamed spinach. It has all the creaminess of the steak house version and tons of flavor. I used a base of silken tofu along with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, lemon and shallots to create the sauce. A hearty grating of fresh nutmeg really brings it to life. This is a great dish for any holiday table.
My best advice when cooking spinach is to cook it until the leaves are juuuuust wilted and still bright green. They are just as tender if you long cook them, but with more flavor and better nutrient retention. I also recommend cooking up double and triple batches and store the leftovers to add to bowls, pasta or as a ready to go side dish for the next day.
Ingredients
- SPINACH WITH MISO GLAZE
- 8 oz cleaned spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons miso
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon furikake or sesame seeds
- SPINACH WITH SHALLOTS AND LEMON ZEST
- 8 oz cleaned spinach leaves
- 2 shallots cut lengthwise
- pinch of salt
- grated lemon zest
- PLANT BASED CREAMED SPINACH
- 1/2 container silken tofu
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 8 oz spinach, cleaned and rough chopped
- 1 shallot minced
Instructions
Sauteed Spinach with Miso In a small bowl combine the mirin, miso, water and soy and stir into a sauce. Set aside. Heat a sautee pan over medium heat. Rinse the spinach and shake dry. With water still clinging to leaves. Gently toss the leaves until just wilted and still bright green. Pour over the miso sauce, gently toss. Sprinkle with Furikake or sesame seeds when serving.
Seared Shallots and Lemon Zest Warm a sautee pan over medium high heat. Add the shallots and cook until browned, adding small amounts of water to prevent sticking. Rinse the spinach and shake dry. With water still clinging to the leaves add to the pan. Add a pinch of salt. Gently toss until just wilted and still bright green. Grate lemon zest over greens and serve.
Plant Based Creamed Spinach In a blender combing the tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic, powder, onion powder, lemon juice and nutmet. Blend until smooth and set aside. Warm a sautee pan over medium high heat and add the shallots. Cook until softened, adding water a little at a time to prevent sticking. Rinse the spinach and shake dry. Add the spinach with water still clinging to the leaves and toss until mostly wilted. Add the tofu sauce and stir until warmed through. Serve with grinds of fresh black pepper.