Versatile Spanakorizo
Use fresh ingredients if you want - for quick and easy use the following:
2 cups your favorite cooked rice
1 cup frozen chopped onions
1 - 10 oz package frozen spinach
salt, ground black pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
chopped garlic if desired
1 can small black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
This is just a collection of variations on spinach with rice, with delicious results.
In a non-stick pan sprayed with olive oil, saute onion (and garlic) until golden. Add spinach and stir-fry until cooked through. Stir in seasonings and beans, then add rice and pine nuts and stir until heated through. (you could save a step by sauteing pine nuts with the onion but be careful not to burn them)
Without the beans, its a side dish. With the beans its a meal. Its good hot when fresh, or at room temperature for lunch the next day. It has several different textures that are a treat for your senses.
Vary the seasonings and beans according to your taste. Broccoli Rabe or other dark green leafy vegetable could be substituted for, or added to the spinach. Other good additions would be soy parmesan or mock crab.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I didn't have rice made up, but I did have some macaroni noodles already cooked from another recipe. I used my pressure cooker to whip some black beans into shape quickly, and sauteed the onions and a few cloves of garlic while the pine nuts toasted in the toaster oven.
I used a bag of fresh spinach, the salt, pepper and nutmeg, and then the beans were done and dinner was ready. Total prep time was less than twenty minutes even though I used fresh onion and cooked the beans in that time. (pressure cookers are awesome for this reason. I wouldn't do dry beans without one.)
Tasty and simple recipe. The salt and pepper are critical to it's flavor. I used probably 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of pepper and 1/2 to 1 full Tbsp salt.
I was happy to have pine nuts on hand for this. I bought a big bag recently and keep them in the freezer. When my little pot of Basil is grown enough I'll make some fresh pesto!