This makes a very credible creamed spinach. Gotta love the nutritional benefits too: excellent protein, lowfat and a friendly calorie count. The difference between it tasting "okay" and "delicious" is in adjusting the seasonings in the sauce after the initial blending. Because I had forgotten to saute fresh garlic with the onions, I ended up rehydrating 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and then adding this as I warmed the spinach. I also added about the same amount of reconstituted garlic powder to adjust the sauce, before adding it into the spinach. For the spinach, I used two 10 oz. packages of frozen spinach that I cooked in the microwave and drained well by pressing it in a strainer before adding it to the cooked onions. For the cheese, I grated fresh parmesan in our food processor. To avoid getting out the blender too, I used the same food processor workbowl to process the sauce with the S-shaped blade and it pureed just fine.

Reviewed On: May 12, 2007

Simple, light, quick, and really quite good. After a couple of bites we declared this dish an everyday keeper. It even looks attractive on the plate. I do think the recipe is improved by taking a moment to add a little seasoning. Here are the details of what I did: Instead of using a greased cookie sheet, I used parchment paper. Before cooking, using a paint brush, I brushed each side of the eggplant slices with olive oil to coat the entire surface and then seasoned well with salt and black pepper on both sides. Then I sprinkled on some dried basil (had no fresh basil on hand). Topped this with the tomato slice and then topped that with FRESH grated parmesan cheese. 400 degrees for about 20 minutes did the trick; timing was not too critical.

Reviewed On: May 11, 2007

This salad was delicious -- wonderfully refreshing and an unexpected combination. A definite keeper. It was delightful to eat it tonight with a simple grilled steak. Here's how I made it quick and easy: I bought de-seeded and cut watermelon pieces from our supermarket and also fresh spinach that the market had washed and trimmed for consumption. Proportions of these are not critical: I estimated the proportions of the ingredients to reduce the recipe to serve the two of us well. For the avocado, I used half of a perfectly ripe Hass avocado. Here's how I glorified it: Instead of using bottled dressing, I made a balsamic dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for this salad, again by estimating proportions. I added some honey and salt and pepper to taste and...some fennel seed -- all of this this whirred in the food processor for a couple of minutes until completely smooth and emulsified.

Reviewed On: May 11, 2007