VEGAN COOKING TIPS
Quick and Easy Ideas for Spinach
By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD
Spinach was a Mediterranean secret for centuries. This deep green mystery is thought to have originated in Persia and was brought to Spain by the Moors. Eventually, spinach spread throughout Europe and became very popular.
Catherine de Medici of Italian royalty fame, enjoyed this leafy veggie so much that when she married the king of France, she brought cooks from her native Florence to prepare her favorite greens. To this day, dishes garnished with spinach are called "à la Florentine."
There are practical advantages to consuming spinach. Spinach has great texture and flavor, adding pizzazz to salads and side dishes. This leafy green is a great source of folic acid, potassium, and vitamin A, as well as iron and vitamin C. In the Middle Ages, spinach was eaten to prevent scurvy. Just for good measure, spinach also has small amounts of niacin, phosphorus, and zinc.
Treat yourself like royalty and procure some fresh spinach. Though there are 25 varieties of spinach, there are three main types: flat-leaf, savoy (identified by its crinkled, curly leaves), and semi-savoy, which is a hybrid between the two. When shopping you can usually find fully mature spinach, which has broad leaves, or baby spinach. Whichever type you choose, be sure the leaves are dark green and crisp. Carefully wash fresh spinach to eliminate sand that can cling to the leaves. Bagged spinach comes washed. Some bagged spinach comes as a kit with all the trimmings to create a spinach salad.
Remember that spinach is mostly water, so a pound of spinach will probably make only two portions. And because spinach is mostly water, store it in the refrigerator and use within two days.
Use spinach anywhere you normally use lettuce — on sandwiches, chopped in wraps or tacos, or in salads. Fresh spinach is a hearty base for entrée salads. Toss fresh spinach with finely diced pineapple, sliced strawberries, chopped pistachios, sunflower seeds or soy nuts, and nutritional yeast. Create a dressing with balsamic vinegar, pineapple juice, and touch of mustard.
To quickly (and we mean quickly) cook spinach, spray a frying pan with vegetable oil, sprinkle in some chopped fresh or dried garlic, and get the pan hot. Toss in the spinach and flash sauté, turning constantly. This should take one or two minutes, tops.
Use your stove-sautéed spinach as a hot or cold vegetable with your entrée, as part of a sandwich filling, to top pizza, or added to a tofu scramble. If you would like to make "creamed" spinach, whisk crumbled silken tofu or vegan sour cream into the sautéed greens, just as you are removing them from the stove. If you have leftover cooked spinach, you can purée it and add it to hummus, salad dressings, or soups.
