Spinach Saag with Feta

I've been really enjoying cooking and eating Indian food recently and the fact that it's healthy and chockfull of vegetables and proteins from lentils definitely doesn't hurt. I recently gained some unnecessary weight from medication and want to start losing it by eating foods that satisfy my body and my taste buds while still being light. This spinach saag fit the bill on all counts.
It has over 2 lbs of vegetables for 6 servings and is pretty low in calories. Adding a side of whole wheat flatbread (or brown rice) will add additional fiber and protein and will keep you feeling full for longer.

The smell of coriander seeds and cardamom roasting in oil while cooking this saag took me back to India with memories of my mom cooking her chicken curry using those two spices as her prominent flavoring. Every Sunday, my mom would make a more indulgent meal for us with some kind of meat - chicken, goat or beef, and we very much looked forward to it! The rest of the week was usually pretty austere vegetarian food, which now looking back, I very much appreciate. We don't need to be eating meat everyday. Protein can be found in a lot of plant sources and it would do our environment good if more people took a break from meat and ate plants instead. I feel that unless you're a big athlete, and have muscles ripping out of your clothes, you don't need the insane amount of protein recommended by most sources. (Sorry for the rant!)

This is a very easy recipe to execute and works great for both weekdays and weekend entertaining. The feta substitution for paneer was something I first came across in Bon Appetit and was intrigued. Once I started reading Indian-is cookbook, I knew this was something I wanted to try soon. I LOVE shrimps cooked in tomatoes sauce with feta or even gigantic beans cooked in tomato sauce with feta. So I knew a spinach sauce would also take well to being finished off with a tangy, salty cheese. The tadka/baghar/tempering at the end is like cherry on top. The sauce is already amazing without it (I checked multiple times lol!), but with this simple addition, it takes it to a whole new level. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Indian-ish, Priya Krishna
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
5 tbsp coconut oil (or ghee), divided use
4 tbsp coriander seeds
5 green cardamom, seeds removed and crushed
2 onions, diced
2 tsp sea salt
4 garlic cloves, grated
2.5" piece ginger, grated
2 lb baby spinach
2 jalapeños, cuartead and sliced
1 lime, juiced
8 oz feta cheese
2 tsp cumin seeds

Procedure:
Heat 3 tbsp oil on medium heat in a large 5-6 quart wide pan. Once hot, add coriander seeds and crushed cardamom seeds and sauce for 1-2 minutes till the seeds start turning brown. Add the diced onions and cook, stirring almost constantly, for 8-10 minutes till nice and soft. Add salt, garlic, ginger and chilis. Saute for another 1-2 minutes and start adding spinach by the handfuls and folding them in just until wilted. This will take about 5-6 minutes. Add lime juice and fold it in. Immediately remove from heat once all the spinach has been folded in and mostly wilted. Add 1 cup water and using a stick blender, blend this to as smooth of a puree as you can. Out the pot back on the stove at medium low heat and heat it for about 2 minutes, and then add feta cheese and gently fold them in. Let cook for about 5 minutes until heated through. Pour into a serving bowl. In a small pan, heat the rest of the oil/ghee on high and oce hot, add the cumin seeds. Cook till the seeds start popping and changing color. Pour over this tempered oil evenly over the saag spinach. Mix it in before you serve.