SOS Kitchen Challenge: Spinach Roundup

This month’s SOS (Sweet or Savory) Kitchen Challenge asked readers to whip up dishes with spinach, and wow, did you ever take on this challenge with gusto! We received a dozen fantastic, creative recipes to try that all highlight the super-healthy leafy green.  And yes, a few desserts are included as well!

Thanks to everyone who entered the challenge this month.  As always, if you’ve submitted a recipe and I forgot to include it here, please let me know asap so I can add it to the list.

Here’s what’s on the menu with spinach:

THE SAVORY CONTRIBUTIONS:

Our very first entry was from Janet at Taste Space (Toronto) –a colorful and delicious Quinoa and Butternut Squash Spinach Salad with Cranberry and Pear. Well, I think the title tells you everything you need to know–doesn’t that just sound delectable? This savory salad is also a bit sweet with the pear and cranberries. Suitable for gluten free, vegan, sugar free, egg free and dairy free diets.

Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes (Dundee, Scotland) offers up a great recipe for Spicy Spinach and Potato Curry adapted from a recipe she found in one huge tome of a cookbook.  Her pics look great (and check out the gratuitious cuteness of her new baby, Cooper!) 😉 This recipe is suitable for gluten free, soy-free, vegan, and ACD diets (contains coconut milk).

Kiersten from Full of Beans (Charlotte, NC )’s vegan Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Spinach looks like the perfect quick weekday dinner.  I love a good curry, and with chickpeas AND spinach, you can’t go wrong with this one! Vegan, soy-free, gluten free, ACD-friendly and otherwise nut-free.

A double savory whammy comes to us from Lisa of Vegan Cookbook Critic (Toronto).  First up, Lisa created a quick and easy savory Avocado-Spinach Spread–just look at the deep emerald color of that dip!

She also “uncooked” some gorgeously green Spinach-Hemp Flatbreads on which to spread it. Unlike many other dehydrated flatbreads, these remain soft, perfect for sandwiches. These both are vegan, dairy free, gluten free, raw, and sugar free.

Mom at the Gluten-Free Edge (Georgetown, Texas) decided that her Spinach Mushroom Pie should undergo a vegan revamp for this month’s entry! This is her remake of a long-time favorite recipe, and it worked out beautifully. The recipe is gluten free and vegan.

Donna from Fab Frugal Food (Provo, Utah) turned to Thai inspiration for her Wilted Spinach Salad with Thai Peanut Vinaigrette.  Using all natural peanut butter was the key to this delectable looking salad.  It’s gluten free, vegan and sugar free.

Chaya from The Comfy Cook is back this month with a fabulous Oriental Rice Pizza.  This savory dish is filled with veggies and is a snap to make with its rice-based crust. It’s gluten free, sugar free and dairy free.

Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe (Melbourne, Australia) offers a cheezy spinach-based soup this month with her Pumpkin, Bean and Spinach Soup. While the recipe itself looks delicious, half the fun of the recipe is Johanna’s recounting of the experimentation that led her to it.  And doesn’t the concept of tofu croutons just sound fabulous?

Valerie of City Life Eats (Washington, DC) has created a Lemony Spinach Pepita Pesto. With a unique combination of ingredients, this pesto would be delicious on more than just pasta. It’s gluten free, vegan, nut free, sugar free and ACD-friendly.

Aubree Cherie, who blogs at Living Free (Kennett Square, PA), decided to move out of her usual spinach zone with these Almond Spinach Biscuits.  A great savory biscuit with a hint of sweet (dried cranberries), these treats were gobbled up by her significant other in no time.  Definitely a fun (and delicious) recipe.  Gluten free, sugar free, vegan and ACD-friendly.

My event partner, Kim at Affairs of Living, cooked up a fabulous Creamy Spinach and Celeriac Soup for those days when you crave something rich and healthy at the same time.  The recipe is vegan, gluten free, sugar free, ACD friendly, soy free and nut free.

My savory contribution this month is a Classic Tofu Quiche recipe that I’ve had for years but never thought to post.  The millet crust helps to make it quick, easy, and delicious! It’s gluten free, sugar free and vegan.

THE SWEET CONTRIBUTIONS (Yes, even spinach has a sweet side!):

Rachel from My Munchable Musings (WA) treated us to two sweet recipes this month! First up are these Spring Picnic Cupcakes, her take on the classic Strawberry and Spinach Salad–in a sweet mini confection! She’s also included a great bit of additional history and nutritional information about spinach here.  These are wheat free, sugar free and vegan.

Rachel also created these adorable Green Thumb Print Cookies, that are gluten free!  I love how the strawberry sits perfectly in the thumb print–seriously yummy looking.  These are gluten free, sugar free and vegan.

Kim’s second contribution this month is her Invisible Spinach Smoothie.  While you may have enjoyed smoothies with spinach before, this quick and easy recipe contains another veggie that you might not expect.  Vegan, ACD-friendly, gluten free.

Finally, my sweet contribution is this Green Monster Muffin.  Based on the concept of green smoothies, these muffins offer up spinach in a slightly sweet, hearty breakfast baked good.  I’ve used chopped apples, but you could add in raisins or even chocolate chips to the mix if you like.  Vegan, sugar free, gluten free.

Thanks again to everyone who played along this month.  Enjoy these recipes until next month, when Kim–our hostess for June’s Challenge–will announce the new SOS ingredient. 🙂

Last Year at this Time: The Ultimate Slow Food: Lupini Beans with Garlic and Olive Oil

Two Years Ago: When Cheesecake is Love (GF filling; spelt crust)

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