Creamed spinach and peas

Creamed spinach and peas

I'm no Popeye. Nope, can't do the straight spinach thing. I can do it in a cheesy dip with artichokes, I can do it snuck into a lasagna, heck, I can even blend it into a smoothie (Green Monsters!). And I'm the same way with peas. Just can't do them on their own. My old boss told me that "no good food is green"-he was even opposed to green jello. That's how hardcore he was. But I went through my freezer the other day and there was ALOT of green. My feeble attempt at healthy eating and incorporating more veggies into our meals staring blankly at me in the frozen tundra.

Last night's dinner needed something green...it was roast, with mashed potatoes. It needed another veggie...or at least I thought it needed another.

So..I took looked up creamed peas...I know that I've heard of it..couldn't find what I was looking for. And I had 4 bags of peas in the freezer. Then I looked up creamed spinach and it let me to The Pioneer Woman (who is awesome, as is her new show!)...and who am I to disregard a blogger mom turned Food Network star (all time dream folks!!)-but of course I had to make the recipe my own.

It was good. The creamy offsets the spinach. The peas give it a nice sweet texture. And the addition of a panko top and some cream cheese just take it to the moon!

• Creamed Spinach and Peas (adapted from The Pioneer Woman)
• 1 stick butter
• 8 tablespoons flour
• 1 onion-chopped
• 2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1lb frozen chopped spinach*
• 1lb frozen green peas
• 2oz cream cheese-softened
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs dusted with ranch powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Oven at 400

Melt the stick of butter in a large saucepot-once melted at the flour and mix (this is your roux)-cook it about 3-4 minutes. Add onions and garlic powder, and cook another 3-4. Add milk and cream-whisk, whisk, whisk! Add pepper and nutmeg-whisk!

Fold in spinach and peas.

Pinch in cream cheese-

Add to 8x8 baking dish-

top with panko

Bake for 15-20 or until bubbly.

Perfect side dish folks!

* my spinach was a steamer bag. if you have one of the blocks of chopped spinach you'll want to defrost it and squeeze out the excess moisture.