Sauteed Spinach with Style

Last week, I bought fresh spinach at my local farmer's market. I've been able to stretch it out the whole week! I put it in my eggs in the mornings, in homemade macaroni and cheese, on sandwiches, and lastly as a delicious side dish with wild caught baked salmon. Spinach can be boring or it can be eaten in style. So long to Popeye visions of canned spinach! The following is a simple spinach recipe that it is just as tasty as it is nutritious. Spinach is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, which should help give you an extra bounce in your step these last few weeks of winter. This recipe is so good I bet kids will eat it and even, quite possibly, picky adults! You know who you are!

So, how do you cook spinach with style? Saute it! For a simple weeknight meal, serve the spinach with a 6 oz piece of baked salmon. Salmon is so good on its own, very little needs to be done to it. Buying sustainably caught salmon in the Pacific Northwest isn't that hard and eating a portion size makes it more affordable. To prepare the salmon, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt and cracked pepper atop and bake for just 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until it is flaky tender (use a fork to test the flakiness). To prepare the spinach, follow the recipe below.

Sauteed Spinach with Style

1/2 lb fresh spinach
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup white onion or shallot, minced
chili powder, just a pinch (optional, but highly recommended!)

It is best to have all the ingredients chopped and ready before cooking. You'll feel more like a chef and the probability of burning something will go down considerably. In a hot pan, saute some minced garlic and onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil (for about 30 to 60 seconds). Be careful not to burn the garlic. Next, add about 8-10 cups (or something Popeye would be proud of) of fresh spinach to the saute pan. It doesn't need to be exact, spinach shrinks! Toss the spinach with tongs in the hot oil for about 30 seconds until the spinach begins to wilt. Don't cook too long. Serve the sautéed spinach next to the fish with a dollop of homemade tartar sauce (using the mayonnaise recipe from my post last week as a base- just add diced pickles, onions, garlic, and salt/pepper to the mayo). Enjoy!