Like all great meals these recipe cane out of necessity. I had some fresh spinach on hand, and what to do with it?  The simplest thing that came to mind was stir-fry it in some olive oil, like we do in Nuyorican cuisine. Simple and fast. But then, I though, this is the way I’ve cooked spinach a thousand times. How can I liven it up?  So, I went to the Local market to see what was available. Ad to my surprise, they had fresh mushrooms. By that I mean plain white mushrooms. Usually, when I cook mushrooms, I prefer portobellos or shitake or oyster mushrooms, you get the idea. But all they had was white button mushrooms. So, I ween with that.  And it made a perfect t combination with the spinach. As a complement to it I also cooked some parsley white rice. But you can pair it with pasta, couscous, quinoa or your favorite grain. Even potatoes, boiled, steamed or fried, will work with it. For a vegetarian meal, this recipe can’t be beat. Delicious, filling and inexpensive. What more could you want? So, impress family and friends with this one. It’s a winner, and a great cheap meal. Thus, if you’re trying to save on the pocketbook, this is it. Enjoy.

SPINACH-MUSHROOM STIR-FRY

Ingredients:

1 pound spinach
1-pound white button spinach
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 medium to large tomato, washed and sliced into serving peices

Instructions:

  1. Wash spinach thoroughly and press dry with paper towels, or a salad spinner, if you have one.
  2. Remove any tough stems, and chop or tear the spinach into small pieces, about 2 inches.
  3. Wash mushrooms and pat dry with paper towels.  Now, here you have a choice. You can cook the mushrooms whole or, as we did it, cut into bite-size pieces. Your choice.
  4.  Heat olive oil in a large frypan or skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft and translucent.
  5.  Add spinach and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
  6.  Stir in mushrooms, combine with the spinach, and cook until lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and oregano
  7.  Garnish with tomatoes and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.