I have two friends who want spinach recipes from me and when I think of spinach I think of Popeye.  Then, when I think of Popeye I think of Robin.
There are so many childhood memories this man is tied to for me and it makes me sad to know that the little people coming up in the world won't get this.  They won't get to see this amazing man who was a literal genius and could turn himself into any character.  They won't partake of the new ideas he had and the lightening speed with which he created.  He was a tornado of genius.  No one, I mean no one is, was and will ever be like him.  He is one of the greats that all the comics for generations to come will look to for inspiration.  He's up there with the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello and I hope and pray they're all together making each other laugh and having the greatest time.



The first recipe I got online two years ago before I had a Pinterest account and now, I can't find it anywhere.  There are a lot of recipes for this dip but I can't find the one that has all of these ingredients so I'm posting it here.  If anyone finds the original, please put the link in the comments below this post.  Thanks!
I eyeball both of these recipes so the measurements are my guestimation of what they should or could be.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1/2  chopped yellow onion
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese
1 12oz container of sour cream
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 8oz pkg of chopped frozen spinach
1 can of artichoke hearts or 2 jars of marinated artichoke hearts
1 tsp Red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

*You can substitute the dairy ingredients with Daiya products for dairy-free alternatives to this recipe.

 1. In a large pot saute the chopped garlic and onion in olive oil.  When I purchase marinated artichoke hearts for this recipe, I saute my garlic and onion in the oil marinade the hearts come in.  This adds a lot of flavor. Once the garlic and onion are translucent you can put in a couple of shakes of the red pepper flakes.  Letting the red pepper flakes saute for a couple of seconds will bring out a bit of the heat.
2. Defrost the frozen spinach and get out as much excess liquid as possible before adding it to the pot then saute until heated through.
3. Chop the artichoke hearts and then add them to the pot as well.
4. Add in both packages of cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese has melted.
5. Add in 1 cup of sour cream, then stir until well mixed.  Add in the Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese until both cheeses are well melted into your mixture.
6. Once your mixture is combined well you can add salt and pepper to taste.

This next recipe is an Ebony original and I've made it in four variations.  The first time I made this one year ago it only had baby bokchoy, tomatoes and chicken.  I actually prefer it this way.  I ran out of bokchoy and substituted spinach a few days later.  Then a month ago I had a dream about a swiss chard and asparagus recipe.  I don't like asparagus, but it gave me the idea to substitute swiss chard for the spinach and add green beans to the below recipe.  The actual pasta dish I dreamt will be in a later post.
When I made this next recipe this week it had the most veggies I have ever put into it.  This is the recipe my friend wants so that is what is below.  You can do any of the variations I have listed above if you like. I have no measurements so again this will be a guestimation.

Popeye Saute
2 heads of baby bokchoy
1 8oz pkg of spinach
1 cup of frozen green beans
3 chopped tomatoes (plum or vine)
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/2 chopped yellow onion
Frozen grilled chicken strips (Trader Joe's)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Mrs. Dash's
Italian Seasoning

1, In a large skillet, saute the chopped garlic and onion in olive oil until the vegetables are translucent or a bit caramelized.
2. Add in your baby bokchoy and cook until the white ends are soft and translucent and the greenery is wilted.
3. Add in and saute your spinach and green beans until soft.
4. Add in chopped tomatoes and as many pieces of the grilled chicken strips as you would like.  Add 2tbsps of water, cover and let simmer until the chicken is thawed and has absorbed the juices from your vegetable mixture.  This will be about 3-5 minutes.  If your mixture is drying out, add a bit more water, but the juice from the tomatoes should moisten your mixture well.
5. Add seasonings listed above to taste.


I'm Popeye the sailor man
I'm Popeye the sailor man
I'm strong to the fin-ich
Cause I eats me spin-ach
I'm Popeye the sailor man.

So, at the last minute my friend and I nixed our plans to form some type of labor day girls adventure.  She was going to Coney Island while I was going to a friend of a friend's picnic in Central Park.  As if I had all the time in the world I waited until the night before the picnic to choose a dish to make to share.  Of course I went to my trusty Pinterest boards to look for inspiration.  While I was there I found a picture of a delicious bruschetta type dish.  Crusty bread, thinly sliced lengthwise with a creamy herb spread.  For the toppings there were heirloom cherry tomatoes, avocados and red onions.  I clicked on the link and much to my chagrin I got the deadly error message.  "The page you have requested no longer exists".  So after screaming, "Noooooooo!" and shaking my fist into the air in pain and a vow for retribution, I scoured the boards to find the source of the link.  I found the source, but it was a dead end.
I decided that I wasn't going to back down but win! I said to myself, " I'll do what I've done before....figure it out."  Well, thankfully I did and I'm giving you my recipe for this vine-ripened tomato and avocado tart.  I'm not a huge fan of onions.  I never use them as toppings unless caramelized.  So, you'll see those missing from my recipe.
This tart is super pretty and delish.  I can't wait to make it again when the heirloom tomatoes start appearing.  Fall will be here any minute and I can't wait to share my thoughts on the arts in Fall 2013 and plenty of fall inspired recipes!  Whoohoo!
In the meantime enjoy our last bits of summer.  This dish worked because it was fast and easy and since everyone at the picnic had decided to bring desserts, everyone was grateful for the savory dish and devoured it quickly.  Happy eaters make me a happy cook! :-)  Sorry for the lack of "Arts" on this post but I figured that the pretty tart could suffice this one time as our artistic piece.  If the tart doesn't suffice for you, would it help if I said that some of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers were there?  They were, but they didn't sing for us.  They were friends of the friend and just hung out.  Enjoy!

Procrastinator's Veggie Tart
Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
3-4 vine tomatoes
2 avocados
1 pkg herb goat cheese
1 8oz container of low-fat cream cheese
Italian Herb Seasoning
Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Juice from half of a lemon

Directions:
1.Spray baking sheet with non-stick olive oil cooking spray.  Then roll out the entire sheet of Pillsbury® dough onto the baking sheet.  Put the 2 tbsps of olive oil on the dough and spread it all over the dough, whilst shifting the dough so that it covers the entire surface of the baking sheet.  Make sure you have no holes in your dough when you do this. There may be thin spots like in mine. Just try to be gentle or use edges of the crust to fill in holes.

2. Next bake your crust at 350 degrees for 10-12minutes.

3. While your crust is baking whip together the goat cheese and cream cheese into a smooth consistency.  Sprinkle more Italian Herb Seasoning into this mix.  Also, slice your tomatoes and avocados into thin layers.

4. After your cheese mixture is whipped into a smooth and manageable consistency spread it onto your warm, but not hot, crust.  The warm crust makes the cheese that much easier to spread evenly.

5. Lay your avocados on top of the crust, then lay your tomatoes on top of the avocados. Sprinkle tart with Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to taste.  Then squeeze the juice from half a lemon all over the tart focusing on the bits of avocado that still peek through.

*Tip - I had squeezed some lemon juice on my avocados to stop them from browning before I laid them on my crust.  This is an important step to keep your tart pretty and tasty.

When all is said and done, Voila!

Now, you have a beautiful, delicious and healthy Procrastinator's Veggie Tart to share with friends at a picnic or dinner party.  Break a leg!

Ebony