sounds like basella. There are green and red varieties. Good to eat, don't overcook it. Don't expect it to taste exactly like garden spinach. It makes seeds which you can use to grow again next year.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Malabar' spinach

That's it! Thanks! Does it have two names? Which is the most commonly known name? How is it prepared and how long does it take to cook?

also called Malabar Spinach. Neighbor gave me some, and I stir fried it. It's pretty slimy when you eat it.

I'm growing "New Zealand Spinach" this year for the first time, but was also thinking about the Malabar as well (summers here are really too hot & humid for good regular spinach production except for early spring & fall.

Has anyone here tasted the "New Zealand" - which I know, like Malabar, isn't really spinach? If so, of the 2, which one is closest to spinach in taste/texture?

I tried the New Zealand last year. As soon as I tasted the leaves I pulled the plants up and tossed them. I did not like the taste at all. I grow the Malabar as I think it is a beautiful vine. I pick leaves from it and eat raw. While it does not have a spinach taste to me it is pretty good.Patsy

It can also be used in soups but I don't like the taste nor texture of it.

Rizz,
The key to it not being overly slimy is to not overcook it.

"Malabar spinach is a successful replacement in any recipe that calls for spinach, including all the classics: spinach soup, soufflés, quiche, omelettes, frittatas, and with a little butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper. It can be cooked like chard but with more substance. Like okra, it has a mucilaginous quality when cooked at length. An infusion of the leaves is a tea substitute. The purplish sap from the fruit is used as a food coloring in pastries and sweets. The color is enhanced by adding some lemon juice."
http://www.freshcutherbs.com/herbmonthmalabar.htm