by Ann Miller

Created on: October 28, 2010

Growing up we were all told about how healthy spinach was for us.  Most of us also grew up with mums who had no idea how to cook spinach properly i.e. so it didn’t turn out as a slimy mess.  The secret is never to over-cook spinach: serving it on its own, it only ever needs to be ‘wilted’.  By that I mean steamed over hot water for 1 minute only or plunged in hot water only.  But there is one fail-safe way of adding spinach to a healthy diet and that is in soups. 

Spinach combines exceptionally well with almost everything.  Just added a handful to macaroni and cheese for example to give it a delightful colour and flavour as well as adding essential nutrients easily. 

 For the health conscious, spinach is extremely low calorie.  It contains huge amounts of anti-oxidants, those things that fight cancer and aging.  It is rich in iron, something often lacking in a vegetarian and children’s diet.  

The following sites provide further information:

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetabl e/health-benefits-of-spinach.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/2700-facts-health- benefits-spinach/

Spinach pea and pepper soup with tomatoes:

 You will need:

EQUIPMENT:

1 large pan/pot

Vegetable peeler

Wooden spoon

Hand-held or electric blender

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion

1 potato (to help thicken the soup)

1 red pepper (capsicum)

½ lb of fresh tomatoes.

4 ounces frozen garden peas (for their protein value)

1 lb fresh spinach leaves

1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs OR basil to bring out the flavour of the tomatoes.

1 and a half litre vegetable stock

Black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare your vegetables: when preparing vegetables, do not soak them in water.  Peel  them dry and clean them by running cold water over them.  This method retains the most nutrients.

Peel and dice the onion.

Wash spinach leaves by running cold water over them in a colander.  Shred the leaves into small pieces.

Remove the core and the seeds from the red pepper and dice.

Peel and dice the potato. 

Clean the tomatoes.  If you prefer you can remove the skins beforehand by plunging them in boiling water to remove the skin.  However, since most of the nutritional value lies within a few millimetres of the skin, I prefer to cook them with the skins intact and remove the skins after cooking.  It is easy enough to do by pouring the soup through a sieve.

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