Who said you couldn't make a healthy(er) creamed spinach by substituting butter with avocado and cow's milk with almond milk? It definitely wasn't me...
So, I had this ginormous bag of spinach sitting in the 'frig, and I didn't want it to go bad because I absolutely HATE to waste food. That's not kosher, green, or a good way to manage my resources, is it? Nope. Back to that bag of spinach - every time I'd see it, I'd think how good it would be all creamy and silky, but do you know how much fat there is in butter and cow's milk? Well, I do. In the words of Sweet Brown, ain't nobody got time for that.
Then, it hit me like a rock, avocado (a healthier plant-based fat) and almond milk (also a healthier plant-based fat) might do the trick. Some mushrooms would be nice, too. So, I tried it and I like it.
So, they say you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him/her drink. Well, folks, this is a choose your own adventure story. If you like the fat in butter and cow's milk, follow Ree Drummond's recipe to the tee. If the thought of consuming that extra fat will send you into a tizzy and ruin your day or something to that effect, make the following substitutions:
- 1 stick of butter for one avocado and about 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 cups of cow's milk with 2 cups of almond milk.
The avocado and flour will clump up initially, but it will dissolve in the milk just fine. Regardless of how your story ends, I'd suggest adding some sauteed mushrooms:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/04/creamed-spinach-to-die-for/
Yummm! I love avocados and almond oil. This looks and sounds like a recipe Tracy and I could definitely try. May I just say that I am digging your writing style. Often I hear YOUR voice in your posts. However, there are times when this quirky, fresh persona come through. "Tizzy?" Where they say that at? (Singing the McDonald's catchphrase) "I'm loving it!"
ReplyDeleteLove this post in that you mixed spinach, Sweet Brown, and Pioneer Woman! Very clever! This healthy dish sounds amazing. I may need to venture out and try these healthier alternative. Still living in the south, I am afraid that I would easily grab the milk than the almond milk. :) Great job my talented friend!
ReplyDeleteFRED:
ReplyDeleteThat's great! You'll have to let me know how it turns out.
Thanks! I did this whole post in about 40 minutes so maybe the quirky, fresh writing style is more natural for me and I just need to embrace it more.
So, I got this email at work from one of my collaborators and she said something to the effect of "I'm in a tizzy for the rest of the month and I don't know when I'll have time to meet with you". I had no idea what it meant so I asked my officemate (a native Marylander) and she explained it to me. We got a laugh out of it and it quickly became our very own catchphrase in the office. Are you bringing it to NC?
HAVEN:
Thanks so much! It's because spinach, Sweet Brown, and Pioneer Woman are all awesome. Lol...
Do what feels nature. It actually takes time to adjust your taste preferences for healthier ingredients so I would suggest making small changes over time. Maybe 2% milk?