Ever since I got food poisoning from a spinach omelette at a suspect diner in Manhattan's east village, I haven't been able to eat spinach. That was over three years ago and the time has come, I think, for me to get back on the spinach horse since it's such a powerhouse in the food world. Its undeniable health and beauty benefits far outweigh my silly fear of getting sick from it again. So I found this spinach avocado dip recipe here, and made my own version based on what I had around the house. And then, because a dip is not, in my opinion, enough of a lunch, I made a sandwich. It was delicious and nutritious, and a nice baby step for me back into the leafy green spinach world.
Spinach Avocado Dip Ingredients
1 avocado
2 handfulls of spinach, washed
1 small sweet onion
1 lemon (for lemon juice)
Directions
Put the first three ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. Squeeze in the lemon juice, pulse again just to mix it in there. Serve with veggies or crackers.​
Cucumber Kale Tofu Melt Ingredients
1 piece of bread of your choice
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped organic kale
1T spinach avocado dip
1 package organic firm tofu
1 T extra virgin organic olive oil
Butter (to spread on one side of bread)​
1 slice goat cheese (optional)​
Directions
Remove the tofu from the package and drain the water. Wrap the tofu in a paper towel or tea towel and push firmly on the tofu for about a minute to drain excess water out. Slice thinly and put on a hot pan with olive oil for 5 minutes on each side.
Take a piece of bread a lightly spread butter or olive oil on one side. On the other side, spread the spinach avocado dip, a layer of thinly sliced cucumber, followed by a few slices of the tofu and the kale. Add a slice of cheese if you like, and ​put it on the hot pan, butter/oil-side down. Cover and let the cheese melt (2-3 minutes). Eat and enjoy!
PS- learning to say no, ​how to do upward plank pose (great for stretching the shoulders!), and some chair yoga you can do right this second.
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