Vegetable-y Goodness

Sometimes you feel like a health nut; sometimes you don't. Personally, I am going through a pretty crunchy-granola phase right now (I even stuck to vegetables and fish only at the Chateau last night; for those of you who know what I'm talking about, you know this is kind of a big deal!). I usually eat pretty clean food, but lately I'm going overboard. But that's a good thing, right?

My grocery cart this week featured items such as Mary's Gone Gluten-Free Crackers, Turkish figs, wild trout and brown rice bread. And I already told you that I bought loads of veggies at the farmer's market last week.

One of the veg was a few bunches of Chinese spinach. What makes this spinach Chinese? I'm not quite sure, but the texture and flavor are quite different from the regular (American?) variety. They are glossy and lack the grittiness that regular spinach has, and they taste a bit like bok choy leaves. And the stems are thicker and juicier, if that makes any sense.

Greenery in my sink

For this simple stir fry, I put a bit of oil, soy sauce and Splenda in my wok. I then threw in some sliced garlic, shallots and red bell pepper, and let that cook for 2 minutes or so over high heat.

My trifecta of flavor

Next came the Chinese spinach. Though it cooks down considerably, it doesn't shrink as much as regular spinach, which is kind of nice. And there's a bit more bite - as in al dente, not spicy - to it. I think I may prefer the Chinese variety.

Great flavor, color and texture

I'm not sure if this is a common item in regular grocery stores, but I found it at the Eagle Rock Farmer's Market so I assume you will be able to find it at other farmer's markets. One thing's for sure: I will definitely be cooking with Chinese spinach again.