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I made this recipe up and it is surprisingly good. I served half of this to each of us as shown above, as a side to a basic salmon burger with wasabi sauce. It looks like a lot, but neither of us had any trouble gobbling it down. It was an easy, quick, nutritious meal.

I think the brilliant stroke was the addition of the toasted walnuts. They vastly improved the texture of this dish that might have otherwise seemed slimy. With no real flavorings, you simply taste the medley for what it is, and topped with “finishing salt,” it is perfect.

Now I’m glad my husband is growing mustard greens! They are thriving in the garden and you can see them in the first photo below. They come in either a “red” or green variety, and either will work fine in this recipe.

The ones I cooked here are our homegrown “red” ones–he is growing both– while the baby spinach I used was packaged. If you see mustard greens at the farmer’s market or some other enlightened place, buy them and give them a try. You’ll be glad you did!

Recipe: Mustard Green and Veggie Sauté with Walnuts

1 bunch mustard greens, washed, deveined, and chopped
1 handful of walnuts, chopped, and toasted
1 (6oz) package baby spinach, chopped
1 large onion (bermuda or sweet), sliced
1 (8-10 oz) box of sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste (we used a sprinkling of Maldon finishing salt at the table)

In an 400ºF oven toast the chopped walnuts until they are fragrant. Remove from oven and set aside.

Place half of the olive oil in a large pan on medium high and sear the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan and set aside.

Place the other half of the olive oil in the same pan, turn down the heat to medium and sauté the onions until soft and beginning to caramelize, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Add the chopped mustard greens and stir them in until wilted. Then add the chopped baby spinach and stir that in until it too is wilted and incorporated.

Add the cider vinegar and stir well. Turn off the heat and mix in the seared shiitake mushrooms and toasted walnuts.

Serve and enjoy!

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