“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…”

One of my favorite things about summer, other than the sun rising early and setting late, the long hours of reading novels in the library, and the relaxing days spent swimming and lounging by the pool, is the salads.  When the days heat up, I crave cool, refreshing food.  Salads are the perfect fix – they’re fast, easy, and full of fresh fruits or crisp veggies.  But now the days are getting chilly, so I’m finding any excuse I can to turn on the stove or heat up the oven.  That’s not exactly conducive to making salads…

Or is it?  I decided to have a salad for dinner, even though I could barely feel my toes through my socks and fuzzy slippers.  To make my little tootsies happy, I turned on the stove and tossed my salad in a frying pan instead of a bowl.  After a few minutes of stirring and sautéing, I had a dish almost as fast as those summertime salads, and just as tasty!

Warm Spinach and Bean Salad

serves 1

Perfect with a warm pita or naan.  Heat the bread in the microwave or oven while salad cooks, and serve together.

2 handfuls of baby spinach

½ cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tomato, cut into small pieces

olive oil

1. Heat a 2-3 tsp olive oil in a medium frying pan.  Add spinach and cook until the leaves begin to turn a deeper green and wilt, stirring frequently.
2. Add the tomatoes and beans.  Continue to cook until spinach is deep green and wilted and all ingredients are heated through.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with the warm pita or naan.