Here’s a traditional side dish that’s both elegant and easy. Its mild and slightly sweet flavor provides a nice counterpoint to boldly flavored Italian pasta dishes.

Serves: 4 to 6

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 12 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
  (or use fresh baby spinach, simply rinsed)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more, to taste
• 1/3 cup raisins
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a soup pot or steep-sided stir-fry pan. Add the garlic and pine nuts and sauté over low heat, stirring often, until both are golden, about 3 minutes.

Add the spinach and cover. After 1 minute, uncover and stir, then cover and cook just for another minute or two, until the spinach is just wilted but still bright green. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the lemon juice and raisins, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle in a little more olive oil if you’d like, and serve at once.

• See more of VegKitchen’s Mediterranean Diet recipes. ^[1]
• Explore more way to enjoy spinach ^[2].