Spinach & Artichoke Flatbread

With the next several weekends being glued to the TV between the Superbowl and the Winter Olympics, I wanted to create another flatbread recipe since my family really enjoyed the Copycat Olive Garden Caprese Flatbread I made over the summer. It's kind of a Sunday ritual in our house anyway to make a few appetizers and stay home on a Sunday. It's our "family connection day" and we try not to make plans outside of the home. We generally either entertain family or just relax and watch movies while unwinding from the previous week. I decided to make a new experiment and created this Spinach & Artichoke Flatbread; which has a little lemony twist.

Cream of Spinach & Artichoke Soup

This recipe was created recently after dining out with my kids one evening after having ordered Spinach Artichoke Dip as an appetizer. They just love it! I've made Spinach & Artichoke French Bread Pizza before so I thought I'd experiment with the same flavors in a soup since I had some leftover spinach from dinner the previous night. 

I really liked the flavor of this Spinach & Artichoke Soup, but the kids weren't fond of it. I even sent it into my hubby's work so that other's can try it as well, but he left  it in his car that day and it never made it inside the office. So you will have to be the judge and let me know what you think when you make it! 

Cream of Spinach & Artichoke Soup
Total Time: 45-50 minutes    Yield: 7 cups   Serving Size: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1-10oz. Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and drained
• 1/4 c. Red Onion, chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, chopped
• 1 tbsp. Butter
• 4 Artichoke Hearts, chopped
• 4 c. Vegetable Broth
• 2 c. Water
• 1 c. Milk, heated (I used 2%)
• 1/2 c. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp. Cornstarch + 3 tbsp. Cold Water, if needed

Directions

1. Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat then add the onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes; then add in the spinach and artichokes. 
2. Add the vegetable broth and water. Mix well and bring to a boil. 
3. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 30 minutes; then mix in the milk and cheese. 
4. Use your immersion blender* to blend all of the ingredients together until the mixture is smooth. 
5. If the soup isn't thick enough for your liking, mix together the cornstarch and cold water; then add it to the mixture and simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Calories 127, Carbs 7.2g, Fat 7.2g, Protein 5.5g, Fiber 1.3g, Sugar 3.6g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 

Cream of Spinach & Artichoke Soup Shopping List

*If you do not have an immersion blender, simply pour the mixture into a regular blender and puree until smooth. Just be very careful not to fill it too much to the top as it will be extremely hot and you don't want to pop the lid off of your blender.

Chick Pea Salad with Artichoke Hearts & Sun Dried Tomatoes

There was a time when I refused to eat any beans at all. But as I got older, and wanted to add some variety into our diets, I slowly started to introduce them into our meals. I guess they're right when they say your taste buds change every so many years because now, I LOVE them! If eaten alone, yes, they can taste a little bland, but add some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors like artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes and fresh lemon juice and you have a zesty, new salad that can be eaten alone or served as a side  dish. This salad was delicious and very filling. I ate it for lunch for several days and the longer it sat, the more lemony it became. 

Chick Pea Salad with Artichoke Hearts & Sun Dried Tomatoes
1-15oz. Can Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans), rinsed
3 Whole Artichoke Hearts, chopped
10 Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon, zest and juice
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 5-1/2 cup servings. 

*Nutritional Information: Calories 122, Carbs 19g, Fat 4g, Protein 5g

Enjoy!

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into MyFitnessPal and may not be 100% accurate.

Shared on Amee's Savory Dish Fit and Fabulous Friday's 6/1/12

Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Meatloaf

This was as good as it sounds, trust me and since today is National Poultry Day, this seems all too fitting for today's post 


I had set out to purchase ground turkey, but the ground chicken was half the price and since I knew I was going to be making a meatloaf out of it, chicken it was going to be. Making a meatloaf is a great way to use up leftover vegetables you may have from the week, like the spinach I added to this and it's so easy. Simply add everything to one bowl, mix and bake. If you're short on time during the week, prepare it the night before as it does heat up well. This meatloaf had all of the wonderful flavors of spinach artichoke dip and my family LOVED it! 

Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Meatloaf
1 lb. Ground Chicken
1 c. Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and drained
1 c. Artichokes, chopped
1/2 c. Asiago Cheese, shredded
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 c. Panko Breadcrumbs


In a bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended. Form into a rectangular shape and place in an oven safe baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until it has reached its proper internal temperature. Makes 8 slices. 


Points+=4pts per slice


Enjoy!

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Spinach Artichoke French Bread Pizza or Artichoke Spinach Dip

If you're like me, by Friday night I'm usually wiped and don't want to fuss over a big dinner. The girls are usually coming and going (as their social calendar has taken precedence over mine at this point) and hubby is still working late. So I like to make things that are fast, easy and can be reheated quickly. A few years ago I found a recipe in Rachael Ray Magazine for these Spinach Artichoke Pizzas and as I was flipping through my recipe box looking for cookies last week, this one popped out (if you don't remember, my hubby accidentally dropped my recipe box a few months ago and who knows what you'll find in each category now!). I figured I'd give it a try. I didn't follow her recipe exactly but the premise was still there. These were incredible AND I think I found a new way to make Artichoke Spinach Dip too because this way was even better than the way I had made it previously. 

Spinach Artichoke French Bread Pizza
(And Artichoke Spinach Dip!)
Inspired by Rachael Ray
1 Loaf Ciabatta Lunga
1-15oz. Can Artichoke Hearts, chopped
1-10oz. Package Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and drained
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. Butter
2 tbsp. Flour
1 1/2 c. 2% Milk
1 c. Shredded Asiago Cheese
1/2 c. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper
8oz. Fresh Mozzarella, 16 thin slices
1-2 tbsp. Fresh Thyme

Cut the bread into four sections, then slice horizontally, creating eight halves. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the garlic. Stir until the flavor of the garlic starts to release then add the flour, forming a roux. Reduce heat to low and add in the milk, both cheeses, and the ground pepper. Whisk together until all of the cheese has melted and the sauce becomes thick. Add in the artichokes and spinach and mix until well blended. Portion the sauce on top of each bread half and top with 2 slices of fresh mozzarella and thyme. (You will have some sauce left. Serve it w/ tortilla chips as a snack another time!). Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes to get the cheese browned. Serves 8. 

Points+=9pts (Approx. It is 7pts. without the bread)

Enjoy!

Martini Chicken Thighs

For those of you new to my blog, I live in Northern NJ. I love living where I do, as I get the best of both worlds. My home is in the country about 20 minutes from the ski slopes and only a 45 minute drive to Manhattan. We don't go into the city very often, but when we do it's usually around the holidays. About 10 years ago we started a tradition of taking the girls (well then it was only my oldest daughter) in for dinner and a Broadway show to celebrate their birthdays. Sometimes we'll even head into Central Park with family and friends to go ice skating too. It's just a fun place to be around the holidays. Anyway, this past Sunday, we made our trek in and ate an early dinner with the kids, my Mom and her husband at an Italian restaurant called Trattoria Trecolori before heading to our show. We found this place a couple of years ago by accident and decided to eat there again. The food is good, prices are reasonable, they have a great wine list and make great suggestions AND it's close to the theatre district, so it was geographically convenient as well. We all liked our menu choices but I had ordered this one dish that they called Chicken Martini. It was delicious but I was anticipating that it would have olives. I don't know why, it didn't say that they were in the dish but it sounded like it would go well.


So the night before last, I decided to make my own twist on their Chicken Martini and made Martini Chicken Thighs. This dish was INCREDIBLE and definitely one I'd make again! All of the flavors combined nicely without being too overpowering. I did make quite a bit, as I was cooking for 6pp but also wanted to have some leftover to send to my in-laws (Rehabilitation Center food is NEVER as good as homemade!). 

Martini Chicken Thighs
10 Chicken Thighs, bone in, skin removed
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. Canola Oil
1-5 oz. Jar of Stuffed Spanish Manzanilla Olives (I think next time I'll go to Corrado's and use their garlic stuffed olives to make it even better!)
1 Lemon, zest and juice
1-14oz. Can Artichoke Hearts, quartered
1/2 c. Scallions, chopped
1/2 c. Vermouth
1/2 c. Vodka (I used Kettle One...shhh...don't tell hubby!)
1/2 c. Chardonnay Wine
3 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
Kosher Salt, to season chicken
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to season chicken


In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and lightly brown on each side for 8-10 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside (You may need to do this in 2 batches). Add the garlic, olives, artichokes, scallions, lemon zest to the Dutch oven then add the wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and scrape up any bits. Add the flour to thicken, then one at a time add the vermouth, vodka and lemon juice; stirring to thin out the sauce. Next, add the chicken broth and the par-cooked chicken thighs. Bring to a boil, cover then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to an oven safe dish, top with the sauce, then bake at 425 degrees for another 20 minutes so that the sauce thickens and the chicken browns. Serves 10. 


Points+=7 per chicken thigh


Enjoy!