The last post delved into the importance of fiber. With fiber in almost every ingredient, this is a good and yummy start to a more fiber-filled food life. I had coconut milk to use up and found that it was a surprisingly good substitute for other kinds of milk–and it even contains some fiber, too!
Bonus: Uber-Versatile Don’t think of this as just a single recipe but rather a style of vegetables, i.e., creamy-style vegetables that can add fun and interest to lots of different veggies. Experiment with some of the following, but be sure to precook since they take longer to cook than quick-cooking spinach and would not be able to fully cook in the cream sauce.
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Asparagus
- Green Cabbage
Serves 4
Step 1: Saute Aromatics
- ½ cup onion diced to ½” (from about ½ small yellow or red onion)
- 1 cup mushrooms (preferably cremini) cut in ¾” pieces (from about 3 large mushrooms)
- 1 Tbsp. butter
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat until it begins to gently sizzle. Stir in onion and mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned, about 8-10 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of pan.
Step 2: Add Seasonings
- 1-2 tsp. butter
- 2 tsp. dried leaf basil
- 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
In center of pan, melt 1-2 tsp. butter and stir basil and nutmeg into it. Cook and stir a couple minutes then stir into onion and mushrooms.
Step 3: Make the Cream Sauce
- 1 Tbsp. whole wheat flour (or GF alternative)
- 1 cup whole milk (or coconut milk or other milk alternative), plus more to thin
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Reduce heat to medium low. Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture and stir to combine, then add milk and stir again to combine. Stir in salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until sauce begins to simmer and thicken, adding a little more milk if necessary to thin.
Step 4: Add and Cook Spinach
- 4-6 cups spinach, chopped into roughly 1-2” pieces (or 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach)
Stir spinach into sauce and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, just until spinach wilts and becomes tender, about 5 minutes. (Don’t overcook or spinach can get mushy and discolored.)
Taste and Adjust Seasonings. If desired, experiment with optional add-ins.
- 2-3 shakes cayenne pepper
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice