Lolo Jose's Shiitake Surprise

Not too long ago, one of the topics on Blogkadahan.com, the group blog I belong to, is Filipino cuisine where we talked about the food that most of us grew up with. There were so many great recipes posted that I didn't know where to start. One of the recipes that caught my eye is this Shiitake Surprise which, although not a traditional Filipino dish, is a recipe invented by a true blue Filipino.

When I found a huge bag of dried shiitake mushrooms at Costco at a bargain price, I knew then exactly which recipe I would use some of it for. We love vegetables, any vegetables, and this combination was just excellent. The recipe below is just as Lolo Jose posted it, I just changed some of the proportions based on what I used.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sliced & dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
9 oz. bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
1 lb. Green beans, sliced
2 tsp of olive oil, extra-virgin
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
5 green onions, cut into thin strips
1 Large green bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 small ginger, minced
1 TBSP of reduced-sodium oyster sauce (sorry Doc, I only had regular Oyster Sauce)
pinch of iodized salt, to taste
pinch of ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot.
Add all the mushrooms and beans and sauté until tender, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.
Add bell pepper, ginger and garlic and sauté 2 minutes.
Add spinach and green onions and stir until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.
Add the oyster sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately. This preparation makes around 6-8 servings.

This was absolutely delicious! Can be eaten with steamed rice alone or with your favorite meat dish.

Thanks, Doc!