Spinach toasts - slightly tweaked version of an old favourite

One of my fondest memories is my Gramma making me creamed spinach on toast when I was little. I can still remember hanging out at the old chrome-rimmed kitchen table, trying not to play with the violet that was always the table centrepiece (no one could grow violets like my Gramma), mouth watering with anticipation. I think my future as a nutritional therapist was solidified in those moments - what other little kid craves spinach?

I came across this recipe for "Spinach Toasts" on Dr. Andrew Weil's site and it looked suspiciously familiar. He made some changes to my Gramma's recipe (how cool that he knew her! ;) and I made some further tweaks to his. Here's the result:

Spinach Toasts

Description

Cooking spinach takes very little time, but you need to wash and drain it carefully, and remove tough stems first, which may take 5 or 10 minutes. Plan accordingly. The spinach on these little appetizers is a great source of iron and vitamins A and C.

Ingredients

3/4 cup purified water 2 bunches fresh spinach (about 2 pounds), stemmed 8 pieces thinly sliced sprouted wheat or gluten-free bread 1 small onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil 1/2 cup whole milk, organic plain yogurt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint Freshly ground pepper to taste 11/2 tablespoons chopped raw walnuts GARNISH 1 red apple, cut in thin wedges

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Pour the water into a large stainless steel pot and bring it to a boil. Drop in the washed spinach and cook for 3 minutes, stirring several times. Drain the spinach in a colander over a pan to catch all the water, which you can save to make vegetable stock. Squeeze excess water from the leaves. Cut the bread slices on the diagonal to create 2 triangular pieces, then cut again to make 4 triangles. Put them on a cookie sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil in a medium nonstick sauté pan over low heat until onions are softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Put the spinach leaves into a medium bowl, along with the onions and the garlic. Add the yogurt, mint, pepper, and nuts and toss thoroughly with a fork. Spread the spinach mixture on the toasts just before serving. Garnish with apple wedges.