Making Popeye proud

We all know why Popeye always won the day. As the song says "He's strong to the finich cause he eats his spinach. He's Popeye the Sailorman". Strangely enough, the fact that there is a song extoling the virtues of spinach is not enough for my kids. For years, I found getting them to eat spinach was a trial, and to be honest, I don't blame them, as it can be pretty slimey. So I resorted to Mrs-Seinfeld-esque methods of sneaking the stuff into any old dish. If you chop it finely, you can hide away a few good handfuls those green leaves in a pasta sauce.

Recently though, my kids are a little more willing to give something a try.  This recipe was a favorite in the days when the kids were little, and my husband and I could have a civilized dinner after they were well tucked into bed {wistful sigh}. In fact, this was the first recipe I ever cooked from a Cooking Light magazine, and one of the dishes that spurred me on to subscribing many years ago. I thought the recipe deserved a resurrection in this house, and I wasn't wrong. All it needs is a salad and you have a yummy vegetarian dinner. It only JUST served the five of us, and yes, one of the once-little-ones did insist on picking out all the raisins, but you can't win them all!

Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Focaccia
(serves 5)

1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 6oz packages of baby spinach, roughly chopped
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup golden raisins
3 TBSP toasted pinenuts
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp salt (I omit this, as I find the feta salty enough)
1 (13.8 oz) can of refrigerated pizza dough (I use the Pillsbury classic one, NOT the thin crust)
cooking spray
1 TBSP milk
1 TBSP water
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat and saute onion and garlic until starting to soften. Add half of spinach and stir so it begins to wilt. When there is room in the pan, add the remaining spinach, and cook until it is all wilted.
3. Remove from heat and add feta and next 5 ingredients (through salt, if using).
4. Get dough out of can and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Pat into a rectangle approximately 15" x 12". Spread spinach lengthwise along bottom half of the dough, and then fold the upper half over the filling, pressing the edges together to seal. Cut 5 slits in the top with a pair of scissors, exposing the filling.
5. Mix together milk and water and use a pastry brush to brush mixture over dough. Sprinkle with parmesan.
6. Bake for 15 minutes,or until golden.