I know…that’s a really long title for this post, but I’m not quite done “tooting my own horn”as they say and I want everyone to know why I’m writing this post.
Growing up, we didn’t eat a large variety of vegetables, so I’m grown up to be quite picky and slow to try new ones. Since living by myself after college and starting to try new things, I’ve added several vegetables that I 1) had never heard of before and/or 2) never thought I would ever touch with a 10 foot pole. I owe my husband for a few of them – he just made them so well the first time I tried them that I’ve been sold ever since.
Spaghetti Squash
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Onion (in some things if it’s diced or thinly sliced and cooked – can’t stand raw onion)
Jicama
Brussel Sprouts
Sweet Potato (I had tried this one at a younger age and didn’t like it, BUT, if I remember correctly, I got sick that night so maybe that had something to do with it…?)
Leeks
There a few that I’ve tried that I’m still not a fan of…yet. We won’t talk about those today. After all, this post is supposed to be all about SPINACH. A dreaded word to some people and most definitely to me…or at least, (much) younger me.
I didn’t use a recipe for this spinach, so if someone reads this and finds that it’s strikingly similar to something you’ve published a recipe for, please know that I did NOT copy you intentionally. Also, I must give partial credit to my husband who is the first one in our household to combine mustard with spinach and who has instilled in me the importance of having some kind of acidic element.
On another side note, I’m sorry I don’t have pictures. One of these days I will start remembering to take pictures of the process and the end product. Methinks it would have been a lovely picture.
Okay, so I took one regular size bag of frozen cut leaf spinach and tossed it in a heated pan with a large pat of butter. It was at least a couple tablespoons of glorious unsalted, creamy butter. I squeezed some minced garlic into the pan (we like garlic so I didn’t measure – really it’s just a matter of personal preference) and stirred it in with some salt and pepper and two or three cautious splashes of apple cider vinegar.
Aaaaaand let’s not forget the mustard. I added Dijon mustard. Not sure why other than I thought it would taste better than plain yellow mustard. I’m not much of a mustard fan. Also, remember how I told you my man was the first one in our home to add mustard to spinach? He used two different ones – Dijon and spicy brown. I chose to use Dijon because the word “spicy” when related to food scares me and we didn’t have any spicy brown mustard in the fridge. I didn’t add a lot – sorry, didn’t measure again. Just squeezed and zig-zagged back and forth over the pan a couple times. I hope that’s helpful.
I let that cook for about 10 minutes over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. You definitely want the flavors to meet and marry because when they do, it’s a party in the mouth. Also, it ensures that there aren’t any clumps of frozen spinach to surprise you later.
Right before dinner was ready to be served, I boldly pronounced to Mr. Beck (and any kids who were listening and could understand) that I was confident this was the best spinach I’ve ever made…and after a pause I added that I hadn’t even tasted it yet.
Thankfully, once I did taste it, I felt I had made a true statement and, thankfully, Mr. Beck agreed. I think the Punkin is still resigned to eating spinach just so she can have dessert.
This Beck Life: A Mom's Journey in Faith and Family 