Recipe 5: Spinach casserole with bacon and fresh shiitake mushrooms (for children of 12 months +)

Comments from mommy:
Since the very first time I made this recipe for DD, she felt love with it. It is flavorful to her taste bud, friendly to her new teeth, nutritious to her health, and fairy easy to cook. This recipe also won M’s heart as soon as he had the first bite. It is also an excellent side dish for holidays and special events.

	6 strips bacon, cut into bite-size pieces; Half onion, chopped; 12 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped; 1 pound fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped; 4 eggs; 1 10 3/4 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup; 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided; 1/4 teaspoon each black pepper, dried basil and dried oregano

Nutrition facts:
Spinach truly is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Though low in calories, spinach contains high concentration of iron and calcium. It is extremely high in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled.

It is a rich source of vitamin A (and lutein), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, vitamin B2, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. Recently, opioid peptides called rubiscolins have also been found in spinach. It is a source of folic acid (Vitamin B9), and this vitamin was first purified from spinach.

Used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years, Shiitake mushrooms have four to ten times the flavor of common white button mushrooms. In addition to their rich, smoky flavor and meaty texture, shiitakes are good sources of lentinan, an immunostimulant to treat cancer, AIDS, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibrocystic breast disease, and other conditions.

Shiitakes also provide high levels of protein (18%), potassium, niacin and B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. These nutritional values and health benefits make shiitakes ideal to power up the immune system, fight infections, influenza and viruses, lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure.

	1. Put chopped bacon onto a large nonstick skillet on medium heat, stirring, until bacon is crispy.
	2. Add onion and shiitake mushroom, cook until all the bacon grease is absorbed.
	3. In a large bowl, beat eggs.
	4. Sprinkle in bread crumb, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, black pepper, dried basil and dried oregano. At the same time, preheat oven to 350 F.
	5. Add bacon, onion and mushroom mixture into the bowl, stir in condensed cream of mushroom soup, and mix all ingredients until well blended.
	6. Add chopped spinach; mix all the ingredients.
	7. Spoon the mixture into a well-greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
	8.Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, about 1/4 cup. Make sure the Parmesan evenly cover the surface.
	9. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown.
	10. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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Tags: Get children eat vegetables: Spinach casserole with bacon and fresh shiitake mushrooms, How to get children eat vegetables? (Recipe 5) | From Mommy, Get children eat vegetables, Second Year | mommy | December 30, 2009 12:55 pm | Comments (1)