Featured spring food - Spinach

luv2bike · #1 05-08-2006

This was the SBD Daily Dish in my email today. Just sharing it. Does anyone have a favorite spinach dish to share? Please add it to this thread.

Quote:

Though not guaranteed to give you super strength, spinach is rich in many nutrients including beta-carotene, folic acid, magnesium, and vitamin K. Spinach is abundantly available year-round, but it's at its peak in the spring. Enjoy spinach on all Phases of The South Beach Diet® - try it raw and tossed with chopped egg, crumbled turkey bacon, and vinaigrette; steamed
or sautéed with garlic and olive oil as a side dish; or as part of a stir-fry made with chicken or lean beef.

Buying: Fresh spinach can be purchased either loose or in bags. It's easier to judge the quality of loose spinach, but the bags are a boon when it comes to convenience. Look for green, undamaged leaves and avoid those with yellow spots, wilted parts, or a sour smell. Leaves with thinner stems will typically be sweeter tasting and more tender.

Storing: Spinach can be stored in its original bag in the refrigerator for three to four days. To prevent wilting, spinach should never be washed before storing.

Preparing: Before cooking, wash spinach carefully — the leaves tend to gather grit. Some bags come pre-washed, but rinse them again to remove as much sand as possible. To wash properly, drop spinach leaves in a colander and rinse with cool water, stirring gently with your hands. Then spin the leaves in a salad spinner or dry them with a paper towel. While spinach makes a delicious salad base, some of the nutrients are better absorbed when cooked. Therefore, you should try preparing it both raw and cooked.

Moggy · #2 05-08-2006

I like mine simple. Heat a little olive oil in a pan, add chopped garlic and spinach stir while cooking until the spinach is just wilted. Eat! I can eat a whole bag of spinach like this! And I'm lucky cause John doesn't like it!

I also like it raw as a salad!

Mindy moves on! · #3 05-09-2006

The spinach has been phenomenal lately. Since I've had my stomach problem and had to stay away from veggies, I started craving spinach so once I felt better I bought up some fresh bunches and have been eating it almost every night. The bunches have had the biggest, freshest leaves and are unbelievable. There's a market stand down by the beach where I live that sells the most unbelievable spinach you've ever seen!!

I like mine just like you do Mog!!!! I seem to not be able to get enough of it right now so my body must be needing some of the power packed nutrients it provides.

Wish we could get spinach like this ALL YEAR LONG!!!!!!

luv2bike · #4 05-28-2006

Spinach with Garlic and Pine Nuts * Phase 1

Makes 2 (3/4-cup) servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 8 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 pound spinach leaves, tough stems removed
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 garlic clove, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Wash spinach and spin dry, leaving some droplets of water on leaves. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add spinach to the pan, in batches if necessary, and sauté until starting to wilt, 30 seconds. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until all spinach is wilted and liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/kitchen/686-featured-spring-food-spinach.html

Nutritional Information:
90 calories
7g total fat (1 g sat)
5 g carbohydrate
4 g protein
3 g fiber
160 mg sodium

Mindy moves on! · #5 05-29-2006

You are talking my language here! I love fresh spinach sauteed and I love toasted pine nuts!!!!!! YUM!!!!!!!:joy:

Moggy · #6 05-30-2006

That does sound awesome!

luv2bike · #7 05-30-2006

I admit that I've never eaten pine nuts. I've looked at them and thought that they were kind of on the expensive side. Maybe I just didn't look in the right place. I'll buy them some day when I'm in the right mood. I'm so che .....eh, I mean frugal that I have to be in a mood to spend my hard earned cash!

Maybe I can get them next time I shop with the bf and I'll put them in HIS cart!

Mindy moves on! · #8 05-30-2006

If you get them, be sure to toast them. They take un an unbelievably delish flavor. And you don't eat a lot of them. A little goes a long way so you can use them sparingly and help defray the costs. The cheapest ones I've seen are the ones in bags in the produce section. Don't buy them in the little glass jars. Those end up being too expensive that way!!

Moggy · #9 05-30-2006

Yea they are way expensive IMO! I think the best place to get them around here though is the Middle Eastern grocery. They sell alot of them so they're probably fresher too. I know that Olive Oil is way cheaper there and tastes much better too!

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