Five fun & tasty ways to get your spinach!

Greeks do love their spinach! Whether it's in that iconically Greek flavor combo of spinach & feta or just as a simple veggie addition to a main dish, spinach is present in so much of Greek cuisine...you'd think we were the land of Popeye and not the land of the gods! 

Most people experience spinach & feta in the famous Greek “spanakopita” or spinach pie. If you're feeling really ambitious, try my mom's recipe, which I shared during our first Zelos Christmas. It's definitely a special occasion dish for me, a bit time-consuming to make, but still worth the effort.

I'll admit that most of the time I get my spinach & feta fix from cooking with Elli & Manos’ Spinach and Feta Greek Flavor Burst. I like to call this veggie spread "spanakopita in a jar", since it helps me replicate the flavors of my mom's dish in lots of creative ways. I also really appreciate that Elli uses only traditional sheep & goat milk feta cheese in her spread, making it perfect for me, since I'm a bit lactose-intolerant. Most of you know by now that I love just about all of Elli's versatile veggie spreads, because they really are a cook's best friend, but as we head into winter, I thought this would be a great time to share some of our favorite spinach recipes. These are five easy dishes that are also fun to make with kids or your partner, and can take you from breakfast to lunch to dinner. Give them a try and let us know how it turns out!

1. Spinach & Feta Pastry Cups

Here’s a fast and easy appetizer using ready-made phyllo shells to make a delicious hot snack or finger food. If you have any vegetarians at home, just leave off the bacon and sprinkle some grated parmesan on top for a more au gratin flavor. The simple spinach & feta recipe is here and you can watch the video on our YouTube channel.

2. Spinach & Feta Pinwheels

These are so fun to make with kids...or have your teenagers make them for their own snacks! I like to think of these as fancier version spanakopitakia, classic spinach & feta triangles that you often find at Greek festivals. You can prepare these ahead of time and keep them in the freezer to heat up whenever you have the munchies. Try the spinach & feta recipe all together!

 3. French Spinach Quiche Goes Greek

This fusion of a classic French dish with even more classic Greek flavors was the brain child of our intern, Léonore, who has a passion for tasty cuisine (maybe because she's French by birth?!). She had been playing with our products and came up with this more intense version of spinach quiche, thanks to Elli & Manos' Spinach & Feta spread. Here's the spinach quiche recipe - it makes for a classy lunch, so try it instead of your usual sandwich break and say Bon Appetit!

4. Spinach & Feta Breakfast Pizza

Breakfast isn't just about sweet treats, filling savory dishes are good, too! This is a fast way to get lots of vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidants, and if you crack an egg on top, you'll get a hefty dose of protein, too. Find the  spinach & feta breakfast recipe here.

 

5. Spanakotrahanóto - Reinventing Greek Spinach & Rice

Spanakórizo is a classic Greek spinach & rice dish but last year, in a fit of creative cooking, I tried making it with Agrozimi's handmade trahana, a traditional Greek pasta. The trahana is softer and less chewy than the rice, blending nicely with the spinach, and the real yogurt that Agrozimi uses for their handmade trahana gives it an extra tang. This is a really nice side dish, although you can increase the amount of pasta and make it a healthy, vegan main dish, too. Find the spanakotrahanoto recipe here.  

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