Spinach

Spinach and Basil Risotto

Ingredients
5 cups of vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
4 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry white wine
1 bunch of spinach
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 cup of toasted pine-nuts or sunflower seeds

1. Heat oil in a large pot, add onions, cook for two minutes.  Add 2 clovesgarlic and cook for another 30 seconds.  Add rice and salt and stir to coat.
2. Add the broth and wine (true style risotto requires adding small amounts at a time and cooking down the liquid and then adding more but it also works if you add all the liquid and works better for a busy house!)
3.  Steam the spinach leaves then blend spinach, basil leaves and two cloves of garlic in a food processor.
4.  Add the spinach, basil mix just before all the liquid has been cooked out of the risotto.  Stir and let the flavours blend.
5.  Serve with 1/4 cup of toasted seeds on each plate.

Enjoy!
Alternatively if you already had pesto made up you can add your pesto in the last steps of cooking, makes the meal prep faster!

Chicken or Tofu Stir Fry with Shitake Mushrooms and Spinach

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon grape seed oil for frying
• 1 cup sliced red onions
• 2 Tablespoons freshly minced/grated ginger
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 block of tofu, cut into bit sized pieces
• 1 1/2 cups of sliced shitake mushrooms
• 4 cups of stemmed and washed spinach
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 Tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat oil in a wok.  Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Add ginger and sauté for another minute.  Add chicken or tofu and sauté until the chicken is cooked and the tofu is browned. Add mushrooms, cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add spinach and cook until wilted.  Add soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil.  Sprinkle each plate with toasted sesame seeds.