Fancy Cocktail? Nope!

I know you think this is a fancy cocktail, but it is poor old simple apple juice with some spinach juice added in!   I'm new to juicing, so you might see entirely too many juice posts for the next few weeks!  My juicer arrived today ... so ... in went 4 apples and a big handful of spinach leaves!  That made two cups and I added two more cups of plain old carbonated lemon infused tap water ... that I make with my Sodastream.   I get so tired of eating my daily fresh fruit ... and drink the carbonated water instead of soda, which I almost cannot stand!  This was a really refreshing afternoon treat on a very cold winter day in the Illinois Delta!

Good, Good Spinach!

If you haven't been hungry for fresh spinach, you will be after you look at this post!  My friends at the Mulberry Hill Farm just a couple minutes south of Carbondale, Illinois ... grow lots of good things.  This winter, they've been selling spinach at our indoor farmers' market ... and it is so good.  You don't know what to do with fresh spinach?  Take a look at these ...

Here is quick braised spinach with the very traditional liver and onions ... 

with mashed potatoes and onion gravy, of course!  Braise the spinach by melting a little butter, bacon grease or olive oil in a skillet and adding the fresh spinach leaves to the skillet ... keep the heat on high and toss the spinach around until it gets a little "scar" on it.  Drizzle it with your favorite vinegar ... I used Balsamic for this one ... and continue to toss the spinach until it reaches the color and texture you desire.  I don't let mine break down completely.  A little crispiness is good!

In the picture above, we have steamed spinach with roasted chicken breasts that have been glazed with peach salsa ... To steam the spinach, heat 1/2 cup of water or juice ... I used peach juice here ... put about three cups of spinach leaves in the pan and put the lid on.  Let it steam with the simmering liquid for about 3 minutes, then start peeking to see if has absorbed the liquid.

The last picture is a fresh spinach simple salad, served with bbq pork and Swiss cheese potatoes!  I enjoy tossing coarsely chopped spinach leaves with a little minced onion, apple cider vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil!  How simple is that?