Wed, March 1st, 2006

Creamy Spinach Curry Salad

Evergreen with Snow

 

Isn’t it supposed to start warming up by now?

We’re having some very cold weather in the UK right now (colder than normal), and I’m really feeling it! Probably because the heating in my flat is rubbish — does anyone know how night storage heaters actually work?

I think I’m going to need a trip to Argos to invest in a portable electric one. At least it’s not snowing where I am. It’s been beautiful sunshine every morning when I look out over the church from my bedroom window, but that sight just hasn’t distracted me from the coldness.

So in my quest to warm myself up, I thought of putting together a warming recipe.  I’ve made Spinach Masala on the basis that the spices will have a warming effect on me … errrrr, it didn’t work, ahem, but it does taste good, so here’s the recipe! :)

Spinach masala

Prep time: 25 minutes
Difficulty *(1 star) See scale

  • 9 ozs (250 g) spinach
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
  • 2 teaspoons macadamia oil (or substitute olive oil)
  • 1 cup diced mango
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 1/8 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 2 cups cashews or macadamia nuts
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons agave
  • 2 teaspoons tamari
  1. Wash and chop the spinach. In a large bowl, mix the spinach, lemon juice, salt and oil.  Massage with your hands until the spinach becomes soft and creamy.
  2. Add the mango, raisins, mustard seeds, onion and fresh corriander and mix again.
  3. Next we need to make some sauce, so put the remaining ingredients in a Vitamix or other high-speed blender and process until smooth. You may need to add more water to the mixture to get it to the consistency of yoghurt.
  4. Mix the sauce in with the spinach, and you’re done!  This also tastes great if you put it in the dehydrator for an hour at 115 degrees F.

Remember to wash your blender straight away by filling it halfway with water, adding a little washing-up liquid and blending for a few seconds. This is a good habit to get into, but will also stop your smoothie tasting of curry the next day!

In the end, to get myself back to room temperature, I put on a second jumper (sweater) and had a pot of lemon and ginger tea. I had this tea when I was in Thailand. You make it very simply with a few slices of lemon and a few slices of ginger, both in a pot with some hot water. You can then sweeten it with your favourite sweetener, such as honey.

Print Friendly