Spinach Ricotta Gluten Free Dumplings

Not exactly a cracker but I’m getting closer. And it’s still gluten-free. But then again it’s grain-free, nut-free and fruit-free as well. Lots of free-ness going on in this recipe. Which by the way, veered off course of the entire original recipe. I’m reminiscing this occurrence.

Me: We can’t call this a dumpling.

Tre: Of course we can call this a dumpling.

Me: How do you figure? It has no flour, and dumplings are supposed to have flour. It’s kind of their thing.

Tre: We can call it a dumpling because you first dumped the spinach on the cutting board, then you dumped it into the pan, then you dumped it into the mesh colander to drain it, then you dumped it into the bowl with the other ingredients, then you dumped it in the casserole dish and then you dumped it on a plate. And THAT is why you can call it a dumpling.

Yeah, I know, she’s a keeper. Do I know how to produce ‘em, or what? So why not flour? I’m still wading through that.

Out of all the isolated diets of the 1930’s, only a few groups of American Indians were eating wheat. This was because they were spread out across the states and not in one location. And in some of the groups, tooth decay was was as high as 4%.

As for the rest, the Swiss ate whole rye, the Gaelics ate whole oats and one of the African tribes ate millet. Even though the Swiss and Gaelic had low tooth decay, they were still two out of the three highest amounts at 3.4% and 1.3%.

The third African tribe eating millet had 18.9% but there were other factors going on there. To read more about these diets, READ HERE. But keep in mind, the grain these groups were eating, isn’t the mass-produced grain we’re shoveling into our faces now.

The grain out there now is filled with chemicals and toxins to make it thicker, lighter, fluffier, denser, tastier, saltier, sweeter, spongier, crispier, crunchier, softer, smoother, butterier… butterier? … checking online … Holy pasta fagioli! Butterier is a word!

Then there is still that pesky issue of every time I eat wheat or a byproduct of wheat, my tooth throbs. Even today this still happens. So no FDA statistic telling me that I should be eating so many servings of grain a day is going to convince me. The proof is in the puddin’… or the tooth.

I’ve tried oats with no ill effect other than a little extra around the innards. As for rye, it’s SUPER expensive. What’s up with that? So we just threw down our first rye seeds in the garden. We’ll see how it goes.

This recipe is packed with nutrition. Go take a peek at what’s in the homemade ricotta cheese and yogurt. Then come back and read about how one cup of spinach contains a godzilla-size amount of vitamin A and a godzilla standing on the Willis Tower amount of vitamin K.

But the fun doesn’t stop. There is also 14% of vitamin C, 13% of manganese and 15% of folate. Come on, who doesn’t love their folate!

The verdict? The entire crew loved these dumpling impostors. And that is a LOT of people to please. Did you know impostors had two O’s? Me either.

Ingredients

22 oz. fresh spinach
2 cups ricotta cheese (see notes)
1½ cups Swiss cheese
2 eggs
1 cup yogurt (see notes)
1 clove of garlic

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop up spinach, place in large sauce pan, heat on medium and cover with lid, stirring occasionally.

When spinach is completely wilted, drain and press out remaining liquid.

(Very hot at this point. Very very very very hot. Hence the steam. You’ve been warned.)

Add spinach, eggs, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of Swiss cheese to a bowl and mix well.

Form mix into golf ball sized circles and place in glass casserole dish.

Combine yogurt and garlic in a blender and pour sauce into casserole dish.

Sprinkle with remaining Swiss cheese and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

For the crispy brown topping, broil dumplings for 3 more minutes.

Notes

How To Make Ricotta Cheese
How To May Raw Milk Yogurt

If you do not have a high-powered blender, the garlic will need to be minced.