Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms

A traditional steak dinner is one of my all time favorite meals. It is comfort food at its finest. Creamed spinach is an absolute must side dish for steak dinner. Vegetables in a cream sauce, yes please!

Although steak is a perfect Whole30 meal, the traditional creamed spinach is out. Dairy is a no-go on Whole30. With a few tweaks this dish is easily made Whole30 compliant and may I say, even better than the orginal.

In its place I have used coconut cream for the sauce. If you have never used Coconut cream from a can is very different than coconut milk you might be used to. When cold, the coconut cream will separate into the white coconut fat at the top and the coconut water at the top. Unless otherwise stated in a recipe, usually you mix these two layers together as coconut cream. I find the best way to combine these two layers is in a blender, Otherwise you can end up with a grainy coconut cream.

I always look for a coconut cream with only 2 ingredients Coconut and Water. Although certain gums/thickeners are allowed on Whole30 I personally find that I do not tolerate gums well at all. My favorite brand is the Aldi asia specialties brand. It is super thick and creamy without being grainy. It isn’t organic, but I have yet to find a brand in Australia that doesn’t have any gums and is organic. So this brand is more than good enough for me! (Also it is only $.89/can so the price cannot be beat)

The other ingredient used in this dish for a cheesy flavor is Nutritional Yeast (or Noosh if you are cool). Noosh is a form of dried yeast usually fortified with B vitamins. It looks very strange and when tastes alone doesn’t taste particularly pleasant, but once combined with salt tastes just like cheese. I love using it on salads as a Parm replacement, in scrambled eggs for cheesy eggs, or any place I would have sprinkled cheese. I prefer the brags brand of Nutrional Yeast as it is easy to find and high quality. Some stores may carry it in the bulk bins which can be cheaper.

I’ve added mushrooms to my creamed spinach, just because in my humble opinions mushrooms make everything better! If they aren’t your thing, you can always leave them out!

Serve with: