Spinach with Pine Nuts and Currants
Serves 5

A wonderfully festive and delicious side dish, this recipe is also great for year-round meals. This unusual combination works well together but I don't recommend making it for a crowd since spinach shrinks so much when you cook it, you'd need a separate refrigerator just to store the raw leaves!

- Jessica Siegel, Registered Dietitian

Ingredients
¼ cup Sun-Maid dried Zante currants
½ cup very hot water
¼ cup Melissa's organic pine nuts
18 ounces organic baby spinach, washed and drained, but not dried
1 tablespoon Napa Valley organic olive oil
1 medium Melissa's organic onion or two very small onions, finely diced
2 cloves Melissa's organic garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
– Soak currants in very hot water while you prepare other ingredients.
– In a large, deep pot with a lid, toast the pine nuts over medium heat until lightly browned. Stir occasionally for about four minutes. Remove nuts and set aside.
– Add the damp spinach to the pot and cover to wilt it, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes. When spinach is just wilted, transfer it to a cutting board and discard the green water. Coarsely chop the spinach and blot any excess water that runs out with paper towels.
– Add olive oil to the pot and heat it over medium heat. Add onion and cook to soften, but not brown it, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Drain the currants. Stir in currants, spinach, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Toss and cook about two minutes until everything is heated through.

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