National Spinach Day - Mar. 26th; Chef Elizabeth Faulkner

Chef Elizabeth Faulkner

Elizabeth Faulkner started her cooking career in 1990. In 1997, she opened Citizen Cake in San Francisco (closed in 2011, when she moved to New York). She’s worked around the world, and in 2012, won the World Pizza Championship in Naples, Italy. She has won several awards and been inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame in 2012. She’s also written 2 cookbooks, Elizabeth Faulkner’s Demolition Desserts and Cooking Off the Clock.

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March 26th is Spinach Day. My favorite way to eat spinach is in spanakopita, Greek spinach pie with feta cheese and phyllo (which reminds me -- a friend has a recipe for that I need to get...), but my sister-in-law shared this with me when I was compiling our cookbook:

Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients:
2 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1-2 pkg. taco seasoning

1 C. water

1/2 C. bottled taco sauce

8-10 corn tortillas

2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach

3+ C. shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese

1 C. sour cream (can use low-fat)

1 small can sliced black olives

Directions: Brown beef and onion in a frying pan. Drain. Add taco seasoning and water. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until water has evaporated off. Coat 1/2 of the tortillas with taco sauce on both sides and line the bottom of a 9x13” pan with them, overlapping the edges. Thaw spinach and drain well. Add one package to the meat mixture (which should not be watery) and pour over the tortillas. Spread 1/2 of the cheese over the meat mixture. Cover the remaining tortillas with taco sauce and layer over the cheese. Spread on the sour cream, then the last package of spinach, and olives. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375ºF for 50-60 minutes. Cook covered for the first 25 minutes and uncovered until the top begins to brown. Serves 8-10.

Comments: You can use spicy taco seasoning and sauce, if you like.

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