Mexican Beef and Spinach Bake

Tonight I was looking for something to make with spinach and ground beef, as I had both of these that needed to be used up. I stumbled across this recipe and decided to give it a try.

Since John isn't a fan of spicy stuff, I opted not to put in the jalapenos. (Plus, I didn't have any in the house!). We also made a few other changes... instead of the Rotel tomatoes, we just used regular diced tomatoes and used a whole package of taco seasoning and substituted fresh spinach for the frozen (not really a fan of frozen spinach).

I was expecting more of a thick casserole type dish, but that was not what we got. But none the less it was very tasty served with tortilla chips.

We did decide tho that this would be better served as a dip with the tortilla chips as a party type snack. I would opt to add some of the jalapenos tho or something else to give it a little more zip.

I have posted the original recipe and then the revised version after it so you can choose which way you want to make it!

ORIGINAL RECIPE
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach (thawed and well-drained)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
10 ounces Rotel tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup canned sliced pickled jalapeno pepper
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1Brown the hamburger and onion; drain fat.
2Put in a greased 2 1/2-quart casserole along with all remaining ingredients.
3Mix well and bake at 350ºF for about 40 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top.


REVISED VERSION
Ingredients
1.5 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion
1 Bag of baby Spinach, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
1 pkg taco seasoning
10 ounces diced tomatoes, drained
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1Brown the hamburger and onion; drain fat.
2Put in a greased 2 1/2-quart casserole along with all remaining ingredients.
3Mix well and bake at 350ºF for about 40 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top.

Bistro Apple Pizza

Bistro Apple Pizza

Serves 4
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 12-inch prepared pizza dough crust
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith apples cored, peeled and thinly sliced (or chopped)
1 cup shredded low-fat, part skim Mozzarella cheese
1 cup crumbled Blue, Gorgonzola or Roquefort cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried leaf oregano

Method:
For each pizza: Heat oven to 450° F. Saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.Brush olive oil blend onto pizza crust.Distribute spinach evenly onto crust.
Sprinkle on apples.
Blend mozzarella cheese, blue cheese and parmesan cheese.
Distribute evenly over apples.Sprinkle on oregano.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese boils and crust is brown.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

1 pound fresh spinach leaves, stems removed, wash and dry
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halfed

Place the spinach in a large salad bowl. Pour in dressing and toss gently to mix.
Serve right away.

Dressing
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 T. sesame seeds
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 T. poppy seeds
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 T. minced onion
Dash of Worcestershire sauce(optional)

Place the oil, vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, onion, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce in a food processor or blender.
Mix until homogenized.
Taste and add additional sugar if desired.