Monday, July 26, 2010

Spinach Feta Puffs

MMmm!!!

Spinach Puffs

Ingredients
1 lb or a bag of fresh spinach
4-8 oz of feta cheese
3 cloves garlic
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2-4 tbsp butter or olive oil
2 frozen puff pastry sheets


These are easy to make, especially since I buy frozen puff pastry sheets. First, thaw the puff pastry sheets for at least 30 minutes, you can do this while preparing the spinach mixture. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter (or olive oil) into the pan and sautee first the onions, until slightly browned. Then add the garlic for the last few minutes. Add a few handfuls of spinach and sautee a small amount at a time, adding the remaining butter as needed to keep the mixture coated. Once done, throw the mixture into a colander to drain. Add to a bowl with the feta cheese and mix the two together quickly. Then, coat the spinach-feta on the unfolded parchment paper sheets, leaving a margin on all sides. Roll the sheet up, and cut slices as thick as you want them. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on how thick yours were cut. Yum!!!

..for my spinach puffs

Pho!!

My favorite vietnamese dish is definitely pho soup. If you don't know, pho is vietnamese "beef noodle" soup. That makes it sound so plain- there is so much more to it than that. I can't believe I can get a large order of it, complete with fresh basil, cilantro, and everything else, for just $7. It cost way more than that to make it because of the long ingredient list. It is a simple soup however, so if you're feeding a crowd or have a few ingredients growing in your backyard, it's worth making. The best part is, the broth is given alongside all of the fresh ingredients, so each person can assemble their own bowl to their liking. Can't go wrong there!

Ingredients for pho

Ingredients

Beef broth (I use a low sodium version)
Rice noodles
1/2-1 lb steak pieces, brisket, chicken or even tofu (it needn't be beef)
1 red onion, sliced into thin strips
fresh cilantro
fresh basil
green onion
garlic cloves
jalapeno or thai chili pepper, sliced
bean sprouts
lime slices