Spinach with Leeks and Ginger
Spinach is, as we know, a powerful food we should all be eating as part of a healthy diet, especially if you're a person with diabetes. Like a lot of leafy greens it's low in carbs, high in fiber and protein and brings very few calories to the table. It also packs a calcium and potassium punch. But by itself I find cooked spinach uninteresting, so I'm always looking to somehow add a twist when I'm cooking spinach.
Fortunately my friend Donna taught me about 10 years ago how to make braised leeks. I love those flavorful little threads and I use them in all sorts of ways, so the other night I combined some braised leeks with my spinach to perk it up. I also added some garlic, ginger and a little oyster sauce to make a very satisfying and healthy spinach side dish. It paired nicely with the Low Carb Lemon Chicken, for example.
Spinach with Leeks and Ginger
10 oz spinach, uncooked
1 T salt
4" piece of leek, washed and cut in thin strips
1/2 c white wine
1/2 T butter
1 tsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4" piece of ginger, minced
8 raw almonds, slivered
1 T oyster flavored sauce
Wash the spinach carefully. Remove any frayed stem-ends. Separate large stems from the leaves and slice stems on the diagonal into 1" pieces.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the salt. Place stems in the boiling water for a minute, then the leaves. Stir. When the water returns to a boil, remove spinach to a colander. Press on the spinach with a large spoon or small bowl to remove moisture.
Meanwhile place the leeks in a small pan with the wine and butter. Simmer covered for 15 - 20 minutes until tender. Remove leeks to a side plate.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan until hot. Add the garlic and ginger and toss in the pan until they start to brown. Add the spinach and leeks and toss to mix and warm. Stir in the oyster sauce.
Serve with the almonds scattered over.
Nutritional Estimate 2 Servings. Per serving: 103 Calories; 11 g Total Carbs; 4 g Dietary Fiber; 1 g Sugars; 5 g Fat; 1 mg Cholesterol; 650 mg Sodium; 5 g Protein. Weight Watchers: 1 points.
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More cooked greens recipes:
Dandelion Greens with Balsamic Vinegar and Almonds
Dinosaur Kale with Leeks and Peppers
Beet Greens from Simply Recipes
More recipes with leeks:
Braised Fennel with Leeks and Bacon
Cod Roasted with Pancetta, Leeks, Mushrooms and Tomatoes
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Looks delicious and definitely nutritious.
Paz
Posted by: Paz | April 25, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Steve, why do you boil the spinach first? Why not just add raw spinach at end? Glad to hear you are feeling better! Best, Jill O. (Fred's friend)
Posted by: J Olswanger | April 26, 2009 at 09:00 PM
Looks like a tasty recipe. Spinach is often just sauteed with butter these days so good to see it getting livened up a bit in this recipe. People seem to think spinach is that rubbish baby stuff you get in bags!
Posted by: Niall Harbison | May 23, 2009 at 05:34 PM