Hey Ko, spinach is one of my fav. vegetables and i want to start including it in my diet on the regular. I normally buy it prepared at a local store, where its sauteed with garlic, olive oil and onions. Quite good, yes, but doesnt fit in with my current diet restrictions(i cant add any fat or cals to the vegetable), plus it would be cheaper to cook a whole batch at the beginning of the week and just take as needed. So if you can, id like some tips on how to prepare spinach or baby spinach (whats the difference between the two anyway?), and if you have some dietetic recipies, that would be great too. Thanks!!
I eat sauteed spinich or spinach salads every day. I cant eat the stuff without adding olive oil. A great way to eat spinach is sauteed with good olive oil garlic and pancetta. I eat piles of this with usually lunch and dinner. Also, a salad with either raw spinach or arugula (I actually prefer the arugula, it has a milder less bitter taste) feta cheese, calamata olives, olive oil and lemon juice. Thats a great salad. I dont have any suggestions though if you cant add healthy fats(which I dont understand anyway).
This may not be helpful, but I buy the pre-washed spinach in bags and just eat it raw by the handful. Doesn’t taste all that bad.
Zev, that sounds very convinient, have to try it. Raw food is great. I eat mine steamed but usually buy them frozen.
Baby spinach, is just that, baby spinach. Its generally pre-packaged, and cleaned which makes it very convenient. I usually rinse, then put it into a microwave safe bowl, and cook it for about 30 seconds (just till it starts to wilt). For seasoning, I just add a dash of soy sauce. Try some vinegar ( red wine sherry, balsamic etc) salt and pepper.
As far as other recipe ideas, give me something specific to work with, and I'll be glad to help.
well you can buy regular spinach cleaned and pre-packaged as well; im just wondering the differences in flavor. as far as ideas go, like i said, i love spinach sauteed w/garlic and oil like you would get at an italian restaurant. so maybe a healthier version of that?? thanks.
Baby spinach is much more tender, and does not have the bitterness that adult spinach can have. That is why it is primarily used in salads.
As far as sauteed spinach goes, the fat is what makes the dish. You could try it with Pan spray (I do not use it so I do not know how it will work or taste.) The only other thing that I can think of would be to use roasted garlic. Place a head of garlic on a piece of foil, and drizzle some olive oil over it (you could skip this). Wrap it in the foil, and then put it into a 350 degree oven for 15 -20 minutes. The cloves should be very soft. Steam your spinach, then take a clove of roasted garlic and squeeze out the softened flesh, and toss with the spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
sounds great, ill give it a shot tonight!!
Ko, the roasted garlic worked great, i actually put it in one of those little clay pots with some chicken broth instead of olive oil. came out good. however im learning that spinach is a major pain in the ass being that it cooks down to virtually nothing. would i lose any of its nutritional value if i just used the frozed pre-cooked variety?
Don’t waste your money. It’s already been depleted of its nutrients (it was probably boiled), and you wil then defrost and cook it again. The less a vegetable is processed/cooked, the better (especially leafy greens).
Hey Guys-when you are making those spinach salads don’t forget to throw in the hard boiled eggs chopped up. With or w/o the yolks they taste great w/ spinach.