Spinach w/ Raisins and Pine Nuts & Onion Salad w/ Honey

Tonight, we prepared a vegetarian meal that was delicious and hearty, even without the meat!

I found a recipe for spinach with raisins and pine nuts, which I almost served as a raw salad, without cooking the spinach like it suggests, but decided in the end to follow the instructions - especially since I planned to bend the rules with the "dressing" for it. (A second recipe I found only blanches the greens, so I opted to do that.) The recipe also indicated that you could add white beans, so we did just that.

Then, I found a recipe for onion salad with honey, which sounded like it would make an awesome "dressing" for the salad if I carmelized the onions and served it warm. I also used an oregano-flavored vinegar from the pantry, since I figured the herb taste would pair nicely with the spinach.

Funnily enough, I accidentally added the olives that were supposed to be in this recipe to the spinach instead (and didn't realize it till I was writing this up), but it all ended up on the same plate. So, no worries!

At any rate, all my hunches were right on! Adding a dollop of the sweet and tangy onion mixture, which really was more like a relish, was a fantastic finish for the spinach. And, since it cooks quickly using only the stovetop, it's an easy summer meal.

Here's how I made it:

Olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jar (50g) pine nuts
1 can (4 oz) sliced black olives
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 can (15 oz) small white beans
2 lb baby spinach

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 vidalia onions, finely diced
1 Tbsp honey
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp Gustare oregano-infused white balsamic vinegar

In a skillet, heat a little oil over medium heat and saute the garlic till lightly golden. Then, add the pine nuts, coat the kernels in the oil and continue to brown the mixture. After a few minutes, add the olives and beans, lower the heat and keep warm.

In a second skillet, saute the onions and honey in the oil over medium-high heat till the onions begin to brown. Next, season with salt and pepper, add the vinegar, reduce the heat and continue to cook till the mixture thickens.

While the onions are cooking, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Blanch the spinach for just a few seconds - essentially, put the spinach in the water and then immediately pour into a strainer. Drain well.

Place the spinach in a serving bowl and top with the bean mixture. Add a spoonful of the onions, and dig in!