Thursday, January 29, 2009

my salad gets a makeunder

I am not really sure if this salad I had on Tuesday night really qualifies as a "makeunder" I mean, it's not simpler than a regular salad. It actually is the vegetable portion of an amazing pasta dish my dear friend Vicki of Heavenly Metal taught me. So I guess it isn't actually a salad makeunder but a pasta dish makeunder. Perfect. Now I can keep the title.

Either way the meal was great- I don't love raw spinach salads, so this was a great way for me to get my leafy greens. Here is the ingredient list:
  • 1 bag fresh spinach - this is a great dish to make if you are close to the expiration date
  • chopped garlic (as much as you like, I used 3 cloves)
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • capers (as many as you like, but optional)
  • pesto (mine was from Trader Joes, optional but does add a nice flavor)
  • pine nuts, walnuts
Here is the preparation:
  1. Sear the pine nuts and walnuts in a pan on medium heat until brown, make sure to keep an eye on them and don't let them burn. Put them to the side for later.
  2. Put olive oil in large pot with garlic and let simmer for a few minutes until warm, on medium heat. Once you see some sizzling action, throw the spinach into the pot and cover. Keep an eye on the greens as they wilt and add extra olive oil if needed. It should take 5-7 minutes and greens will look dark and squishy.
  3. In a bowl add cooked spinach, some spoonfuls of pesto, capers, the seared pine nuts, walnuts, and s+p as needed. Stir and enjoy.
PS- Ever notice dinner always tastes better by candle light?

3 comments:

  1. This sounds JUST like the type of meal I ate a lot of when I was getting in shape for my wedding last summer! tons of greens, lots of garlic (to the detriment of my breath!) and some nuts. Yum! I had so much energy in those months before the wedding...but now my love of ice cream is just too strong and I've gone back to my wayward ways!

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  2. That sounds like a delicious, simple meal! I think I may try it for lunch tomorrow!

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  3. I love hearing about your new cooking endeavors, this dish sounds very good with or without the pasta. Now just to convince myself to actually cook...
    ~gertie

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