This is a super easy recipe for a quick lunch or even for breakfast. You must know how to make a good spinach omelette or frittata by now. This is a healthier version as we cooked them in the oven instead of frying them and we added a bit of salted ricotta for a richer taste.
You will need a few cupcake tins to bake the small cakes . We used silicone baking cups cause it is the easiest solution to take the small cakes out once they are cooked. If you use some metal ones I advise you coat them with butter and dust the inside with flour to avoid them sticking to the surface.
For the props styling I decided to play with lines and patterns. It reminded me of the intricacy of the human brain or how I like to imagine it, as a thick weave of connections.
After a short journey to my local props house, Backgrounds prop hire I found what I was looking for!
We all started this new series with the idea of creating some recipes to boost your mental health. If you have been following us you must know that my blog partner Giulia is an professional nutritionist and she will tell us a bit more about why we choose to cook this recipe. Check below:
“On our last post we talked about the important connection between gut health and mental health. The intestine and the brain communicate with impulses via nerves and chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) such as serotonin and GABA. This last neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid has the function to inhibit/block certain signals in our brain and reduce activity in our nervous system. Therefore, GABA and GABA deficiency are linked to symptoms like stress, anxiety, insomnia, ADHD… but also Parkinson’s disease and seizures. There are not many foods that contain GABA —the only ones are fermented foods, in fact we added apple cider vinegar to our side salad— however, some vitamins such as vitamin B6 are required co-factors for GABA synthesis. Foods rich in B6 are first of all spinach (together with cabbage, broccoli, garlic, peppers, bananas…), so we decided to cook one of the most famous Italian recipes with spinach — frittata (di spinaci). Spinach is also high in folate and mineral magnesium which both have been seen to be essential for optimal mental health. “
Spinach cakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
4 medium eggs (about 60g each)
100g spinach
70g leeks
60g salted sheep's ricotta
5ml olive oil
black pepper
SALAD
5 radish
300g Mixed salad leaves
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt
a twist of black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 170 ºC
2 In a small bowl beat the eggs
3 Grate the ricotta into the egg mixture
4 Sauté the leeks and spinach in a small pan with olive oil until tender (2-3 min)
5 Pour the content into the cupcake tins
6 Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes
7 For the salad: wash the radish, discard the leaves and slice thinly.
8 Mix all the ingredients together into a salad bowl
9 Once the cakes are ready you can plate them with a bit of salad on the side.
