Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

with hot water and soak 15 minutes. Drain and
chop.
Heat the oil in a high-sided skillet over
medium-high. Sauté the onions 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and reconstituted tomatoes, and
cook 1 minute more. Stir in the mushrooms
and cook 3–5 minutes until they begin to wilt.
Add the spinach, stirring to mix well. Cover
and cook 3 minutes or until spinach wilts but
is still bright green. Season with salt and black
pepper and spoon over the rice. Scatter the
pine nuts on top.

Per serving : 210 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat (4%
calories from saturated fat), 35 g carbohydrate, 9 g
protein, 5 g dietary fiber, 285 mg sodium. Exchanges:
1 Starch, 2 Vegetable, 1 Fat

SZECHWAN SPINACH

A wilted spinach side dish with tremendous
fl avor.
SERVES 4

8 cups well-washed spinach leaves or 1
(16-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Pinch of dried, crushed chiles
½ teaspoon finely chopped gingerroot
2 green onions (scallions), sliced

Place the spinach in a colander and pour boil­

ing water over the top to wilt the leaves. Drain

well.

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ses­

ame oil, chiles, and ginger. Toss with the spin­

ach and green onions to coat well. Stir over

medium heat for 2–3 minutes.

Per serving : 38 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 7 g

carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 2 g dietary fi ber, 407 mg

sodium. Exchanges: 1 Vegetable

SPINACH • 235