I love vegetables, but I’m not always super crazy about eating them raw. This simple preparation was born in my attempt to give fresh spinach leaves a break from their usual salad duty. Cooked greens reduce drastically in volume, so it’s easier to consume larger quantities if you’re looking to add healthy options to your daily intake. You’ll be amazed by how much a big bushel shrinks down in a hot pan!
I’m a firm believer in preserving the purity of nutrient-filled ingredients like this so when possible, I refrain from adding a ton of (if any) salt, butter or oil to my cooked produce. I prefer to use cooking spray because the calories are negligible, which keeps my veggies light as they should be.
The brightness of warm citrus and the pop of garlic cloves make this a rich and flavorful side to any fish, meat or poultry dish. For a more complete meal, this recipe marries nicely with whole wheat penne and tastes amazing beneath a piece of seared tuna and an ooey gooey sunny side up egg.
Ingredients:
2 big packages of pre-washed spinach
Olive oil or cooking spray
10 whole cloves of garlic
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Coat a frying pan with olive oil or cooking spray and sautee garlic cloves until slightly golden. Add spinach and add more olive oil if necessary. You will most likely have to wait until the first bag shrinks down to make room for the second. (Like magic!)
When spinach is just about done, squeeze in the juice of one whole lemon, and add lemon to the pan, cut sides down.
Toss flavors together in pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy and make Popeye proud!
