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.