Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Spinach Calzones that Aren't Really Calzones but Taste Great

Fast seems to be the order of the day this week.

I'm not sure my recipes would meet the 5 minute rule, but this one really doesn't take much longer and it tastes really good.

A few weeks back, Virginia posted a recipe for pizza dough for calzones. I wanted  to make it but my oven is still broken. (MUST remember to call repairman.  Ooops!)

I've been craving a spinach roll/calzone, so I decided to improvise.
Note: I could have just picked one up at the local pizza place, but this way I knew exactly what was going in - no extra fat and salt.

I absolutely love this freeze-dried garlic!


Step 1: gently steam fresh spinach with garlic. I also added in arugula.





Step 2: mix in some ricotta and stir til hot.


Step 3: add mozzarella (or your favorite Italian cheese blend)

Step 4: stuff it into a pita or sandwich pocket (or if you want the cheese all nice and crispy, do like I did and break it open, then spoon the spinach mix on top and stick under the broiler for a bit.

It looks a little runny here, but it all crisped up nicely!


Only thing left to do now is enjoy!



And while you're munching, you can read why it's all so good for you.

Spinach a/k/a(Popeye knew what he was doing!)

5 Things you Need to Know about Arugula - it's not just like any other green!

11 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic

And then there's the cheese. I'll go with the description Livestrong uses: It is quite fattening and high in calories; however, it has much nutritional value from the vitamins and minerals it contains.

It's also really good!


Okay - let's just say we get calcium from the cheese and not look too closely.



6 comments:

  1. No one is spending much time in the kitchen these days, are they? Between summer heat and book deadlines, fast meals are the order of the day :)

    I love spinach calzones, and your method looks so easy! I have some flatbreads that I could use for the crust...

    And yes, cheese has a lot of calories, but the nutritional value is worth it, isn't it? Protein, vitamins, minerals (including that calcium!) - and the calories are from healthy fats. I'm convinced our bodies (especially our brains) need a reasonable amount of healthy fat every day. I know places like Livestrong say "no" to saturated fats, but they are so important for our health!

    Off my soapbox :)

    This is going on next week's menu! Thanks Mary/Cate!

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  2. Jan, I remember our pediatrician telling me that when the kids were small. He warned not to feed them low-fat or low-cholesterol. He said they needed it for brain development.

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  3. I am in the kitchen as little as possible right now. I love summer, but the outside chores (necessary, but there are a lot of them!) and inside work, and day job and writing keep me throwing sandwiches here and there... And the plus side is the fun weekend activities which keep us running.... but that's also my writing time, so those 12 weeks or so of summer are always a juggling act. And I love cheese, I eat a lot of cheese, I consider those worthy calories. New York or Vermont sharp cheddar???? Extra sharp? Vintage??? LOVE THEM!!!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Sandwiches are my favorite meal.

      Not sure what that says about my tastes, but there you have it!

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  4. Yum!!! I'm a huge fan of cheese, just about every type. I'll have to try this!

    Now I'm off to read about arugula, which I love. Thanks for sharing, Mary!

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    1. Me too, Missy. I eat way too much of it though.

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