Wendy's Awesome Spinach, Beef and Rice
Apr. 23rd, 2013 08:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wendelah1 in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
omnomnomThis was loosely adapted from Lina's Awesome Lebanese Spinach, Beef and Rice. Follow the link to see the original. Essentially, I liked the sound of the ingredients but thought the cooking methods and the directions needed updating. I tweaked the seasoning to my family's taste-buds. Serves 6.
Ingredients
3 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb very lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice (I used a ½ tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt
16 ounce bag frozen chopped spinach
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup, loosely packed, fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
1 large lemon, sliced into eight wedges
Brown (or whatever kind you prefer) rice, cooked (I cooked two cups for my family)
Directions
1. Remove spinach from bag, place In a large glass bowl, thaw according to your microwave directions. I cooked mine for three minutes on high. Do not drain, set aside. Finely chop the cilantro (or use a small food processor fitted with a steel blade). Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, add 2 T. olive oil, heat on medium. Add onions, turn heat to medium-high, and cook until softened, stirring as needed.
3. Add ground beef, breaking it up with the back of a large wooden spoon, and cook until beef is browned, stirring frequently. Mix in allspice, cinnamon, and salt to taste. I used an eighth of a tsp of salt.
4. Add spinach along with any cooking liquid which remains and sauté with meat mixture for about three minutes. Turn heat to low.
5. In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining T. of olive oil on medium. Add the garlic and the chopped cilantro and sauté until softened. Add cilantro/garlic mixture to the spinach, beef and onion, mix well. Cook for another five minutes or until heated through. Correct the seasonings. (Do I think the garlic and cilantro could be added directly to the skillet at the end without being sauteed together, thus saving the washing of the second pan? Yes, I do, and next time I plan to try it that way. I also think the spinach could be broken up in the bag and added directly instead of being thawed first, saving on more cleanup. By necessity, I am a lazy cook.)
6. Serve with rice and lemon wedges. Squeeze a little lemon juice on each portion.
7. Lisa says, "Squeezing the lemon on top of the spinach dish when it’s being served is the most important part of the dish! Don’t forget to do that, or you’ll miss out on the awesome taste of this dish!" I concur. I tasted the dish before adding the lemon juice and after. It is much better with the lemon juice.
Ingredients
3 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb very lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice (I used a ½ tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt
16 ounce bag frozen chopped spinach
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup, loosely packed, fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
1 large lemon, sliced into eight wedges
Brown (or whatever kind you prefer) rice, cooked (I cooked two cups for my family)
Directions
1. Remove spinach from bag, place In a large glass bowl, thaw according to your microwave directions. I cooked mine for three minutes on high. Do not drain, set aside. Finely chop the cilantro (or use a small food processor fitted with a steel blade). Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, add 2 T. olive oil, heat on medium. Add onions, turn heat to medium-high, and cook until softened, stirring as needed.
3. Add ground beef, breaking it up with the back of a large wooden spoon, and cook until beef is browned, stirring frequently. Mix in allspice, cinnamon, and salt to taste. I used an eighth of a tsp of salt.
4. Add spinach along with any cooking liquid which remains and sauté with meat mixture for about three minutes. Turn heat to low.
5. In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining T. of olive oil on medium. Add the garlic and the chopped cilantro and sauté until softened. Add cilantro/garlic mixture to the spinach, beef and onion, mix well. Cook for another five minutes or until heated through. Correct the seasonings. (Do I think the garlic and cilantro could be added directly to the skillet at the end without being sauteed together, thus saving the washing of the second pan? Yes, I do, and next time I plan to try it that way. I also think the spinach could be broken up in the bag and added directly instead of being thawed first, saving on more cleanup. By necessity, I am a lazy cook.)
6. Serve with rice and lemon wedges. Squeeze a little lemon juice on each portion.
7. Lisa says, "Squeezing the lemon on top of the spinach dish when it’s being served is the most important part of the dish! Don’t forget to do that, or you’ll miss out on the awesome taste of this dish!" I concur. I tasted the dish before adding the lemon juice and after. It is much better with the lemon juice.
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on 2013-04-23 04:11 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-04-23 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-04-23 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-04-23 04:42 pm (UTC)I know, right? Especially using frozen spinach, since it's already pre-cooked. Also her direction to drain the thawed spinach only to put it into the pan and add water to cover? I'm left wondering if hers is supposed to be kind of soupy? Anyway, I like how mine turned out, so fast and easy.
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