One of My Favorite Dishes

Last fall I somehow forgot to make it.  That means it's been an entire year since I've made and ate this dish.

And that, my friends, is much too long.

It's one of the drawbacks of trying to eat what's in season.  Spinach only comes twice a year around here (when planted outside) and if you miss making a certain spinach dish during one of those times, you're up a creek.

Well, yes, I could have just given in to my cravings and bought myself some store bought spinach and whipped it up, but that would have felt like cheating to me.  While I'm generally one who cares a lot about rules, it's not that I would feel like I was cheating my "rules", I would feel like I was cheating nature.  So, this leaves me looking forward to a lot of things and, when the time comes, enjoying a lot of things very, very much.

Not that anyone else should feel like they have to follow my food rules.  You shouldn't.  Each person has to decide what matters to them.  Finding out what matters and being disciplined to carry out those ideals is what's important and rewarding.  Getting what you want when you want it can warp a person, don't you think?

Where in the world am I going with all of this?  Can you tell I just write whatever rabbit trail thoughts run through my head?  Of course you can.  Okay, woman, focus!

What I really want to tell you about today is Rice, Bean and Spinach Salad.  Yaawwwwn.... It sounds incredibly boring, I know.  But please don't let the name fool you.  The recipe also contains sausage, cumin, raisins, carrots and red wine vinegar.  It is one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten (in my humble opinion).  It can be eaten hot, room temperature or cold and it stays just as delicious.

So, go ahead and thaw some sausage, start the rice and go pick some spinach (or run to your farmer's market or grocery store).  I think you're going to love it.

{Much-More-Exciting-Than-it-Sounds} Rice, Bean, and Spinach Salad (adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2002)

4 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 pound bulk sausage
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2- 1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 (16 oz.) canned kidney beans, drained

3-4 cups fresh spinach leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Prepare the brown rice.  In the meantime, in a large skillet, brown the sausage and garlic.  If you're left with a lot of excess fat, drain most of it off.  Add the broth and the next seven ingredients.  Bring it to a boil and let it simmer until the carrots are just tender.

Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl.  Pour over the rice the sausage mixture.  Add the spinach and red wine vinegar and toss well (the spinach will wilt slightly).  Taste and add additional salt, if needed.  Grab a fork and dig in.