I love this dish for so many reasons. I have the bad habit of buying spinach with the best of intentions (“I’m going to eat salads for lunch all week!”), only to fail miserably and end up with a lot of spinach sitting in my fridge. The fact of the matter is that I just don’t really like cold fruits and vegetables that much (unless it’s July or August). They hurt my teeth, and when given the choice, I will always pick something hot over something cool, because I am constantly fluctuating between chilly and freezing. So, I love this stir fry because I still feel good about eating something moderately healthy, but I’m actually eating it rather than drowning it in dressing and picking at it. Also, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing authentically Chinese about this meal, but I will continue to love it and eat it on a very regular basis. I posted my recipe for Orange Chicken Tofu a few days ago, and this Garlic Spinach Stir Fry is my favorite thing to serve with it.
Spinach is full of calcium and potassium
I got this recipe from a book that I can no longer find or remember the name of. Having mostly committed it to memory, I guess that isn’t a big deal, though I’m not really sure if all of these measurements are what they’re supposed to be. But these quantities consistently work for me, so I guess it’s not too much of a loss. To make this Garlic Spinach Stir Fry, you’ll need:
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- a medium-sized bag of regular or baby spinach (this is not scientific at all because the spinach will wilt and everything will run together and be gooey and wonderful)
- 3-4 fresh tomatoes, diced
- 1 T black bean sauce (can be found in the international section of most grocery stores, I’ve been using the same jar of Sun Luck brand forever)
Cook the garlic and black bean sauce over high heat until the garlic is golden, then throw in the tomatoes and spinach. There shouldn’t be any sticking issues with this, as the spinach will begin to wilt and release plenty of water. Once the spinach has reduced to roughly half its original size and everything looks pretty wilted, serve immediately. So easy it’s silly!
Orange Chicken Tofu and Garlic Spinach Stir Fry
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