Tender, delicious, fresh spinach is one of the first crops we harvest in our spring garden. OK, I admit it, I’m so sick of winter I could bawl, which is why I want to talk about spring and gardens. Maybe you’re experiencing the same winter-time blues? Let’s talk spinach then. I found some amazing recipes in an old issue of my Aunt Annie’s Eating Well magazine stash. And here’s what it had to say:

This amazing vegetable is wonderful in salads, pasta, soups and dips and is an easy, healthy addition to many meals. Plus it's versatile — spinach is equally tasty raw or cooked. And spinach teems with important nutrients, such as folate, vitamin E and lutein, to keep your body strong.

Folate is necessary for the production of new cells, including red blood cells. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, particularly in protecting cell membranes from damage, and scientists hypothesize that it has a role in immune function, DNA repair, the formation of red blood cells and vitamin K absorption. Lutein may be able to reverse some of the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration.

Eat well and stay strong with these delicious, healthy spinach recipes:

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Spinach Cakes

Makes 8 cups

12 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 large eggs, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine. Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full). Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.

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Cheese and Spinach-Stuffed Portobellos

Makes 4

Here you take the elements of a vegetarian lasagna filling—ricotta, spinach and Parmesan cheese—and nestle them into roasted portobello mushroom caps. The recipe works best with very large portobello caps; if you can only find smaller ones, buy one or two extra and divide the filling among all the caps. Serve with a tossed salad and a whole-wheat dinner roll or spaghetti tossed with marinara sauce.

4 large portobello mushroom caps
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped kalamata olives
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 cup prepared marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place mushroom caps, gill-side up, on the prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, mash ricotta, spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan, olives, Italian seasoning and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Place marinara sauce in a small bowl, cover and microwave on High until hot, 30 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes. When the mushrooms are tender, carefully pour out any liquid accumulated in the caps. Return the caps to the pan gill-side up. Spread 1 tablespoon marinara into each cap; cover the remaining sauce to keep warm. Mound a generous 1/3 cup ricotta filling into each cap and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until hot, about 10 minutes. Serve with the remaining marinara sauce.

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Leek, Potato and Spinach Stew

Serves 6

For this light, brothy stew, use the vegetables of late spring and early summer from your CSA share: leeks, potatoes, garlic and spinach. Vary what’s in the stew according to the weekly bounty. Serve with: Crusty whole-wheat baguette spread with goat cheese.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 links hot Italian turkey sausage (6-7 ounces), casings removed
2 cups chopped leeks (about 2 leeks), white and light green parts only, rinsed well
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry white wine
1 pound new or small potatoes, halved and thinly sliced
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces spinach, stemmed and chopped (about 8 cups)
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, preferably no-salt-added, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, chervil, chives and/or parsley

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage and leeks and cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the sausage with a wooden spoon, until the leeks are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and salt and stir until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add wine, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover and cook until the wine is almost evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and broth; cover and bring to a boil. Stir in spinach and scallions and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in beans. Cover and let stand for 1 minute. Divide among 6 soup bowls and sprinkle each portion with herbs.

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