Emergency plan.

   I usually plan all my meals ahead for the week. First, so I can get all my groceries at one time and second, so I don't have to worry about planning and figuring out what I'm going to make later during the week. Well, it works most of the time because sometimes (like few days ago) in the middle of cutting some mice tails I realized that I forgot to take a chicken breast out of the freezer. Hey, don't judge me, I have to kill time somehow when I'm in the animal room so yes, I'm thinking about cooking while genotyping! I knew my chicken dinner is not going to work since the main ingredient was frozen solid and that I have to come up with an emergency plan that does not involve a trip to the grocery store. This is one of those days when I look through my pantry, see what I have, and put it together somehow to make a delicious and creative dinner. And here is what I found this time:

*  Chinese Jade noodles (you can use any pasta)
*  1 bag of frozen spinach
*  1 chopped onion
*  2 cloves garlic
*  2 tbsp butter
*  1 cup chopped parsley
*  2 cups chopped walnuts
*  1 cup of heavy cream
*  salt and pepper

   I've never done it before, but somehow I knew it would all make sense together and I was right. Saute onions and garlic with butter, add frozen spinach (you don't even have to defrost it), parsley, 1 cup of walnuts, and salt and pepper. Cook everything for 5-10 minutes until the spinach is nice and soft, add the cream, and blend everything in a blender until it is nice and smooth. Mix it with cooked noodles, sprinkle with the remaining walnuts, and serve it.

   It's very flavorful, a little bit naughty... I mean nutty, healthy, oh it's fast and easy too. Simple dish with a "complicated" flavor that you can come up with in seconds while cutting mouse tails and toes for example!

Enjoy.
Magda.