Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A Healthy & Savory Side Dish...


Matt and I love the food at a local Mediterranean restaurant, and my favorite dish is their scrumptious spinach & garbanzo beans. I know, it doesn't sound like anything fab, but let me tell ya...it's such a delicious treat and it goes well with almost anything!

As I am getting more comfortable with experimenting with new recipes, I decided to try and make the dish at home...and, much to my (and Matt's) surprise, it actually turned out almost as good as the restuarant version! Plus...I think I used a little less oil & salt, so it's even a bit healthier :)

Thought I'd share the recipe because it's sooooo easy, only takes about 10 min to prep & cook and would be a fantastic side dish for Thanksgiving or any other day!

Serves 4
  • 1 bag fresh organic spinach

  • 1 can no salt added (or low salt) organic garbanzo beans

  • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

  • Red pepper flakes

  • Salt & Pepper

  • Garlic powder (optional)

  • 2 tbsp olive oil (I recommend using really good organic extra virgin olive oil - Whole Foods has good options)

  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Saute garbanzo beans in 1 tbsp olive oil for 3 minutes over medium heat in large pan.

Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes, salt & pepper and a pinch of garlic powder (optional).

Saute another 6-8 min, until garbanzos soften a bit and allow them to absorb the flavors.

Add fresh spinach and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, add another sprinkle of salt & pepper over spinach and saute together with garbanzos until spinach wilts (about 1-2 minutes).

For a little crunch and additional health benefits, add slivered almonds during last minute of cooking.

Immediately remove from heat and onto serving dish. It's also great to serve over brown rice & tofu for a complete meal :)

*this photo has raisins in it, which could also be a fantastic addition!

ENJOY!!!


xo