by Ann Miller

Created on: October 28, 2010

Spinach is one of those foods that you either love or hate.  I suspect the hate part comes from the experience of being presented with badly or over-cooked spinach.  Yet there can be no doubt that spinach is one of the nutritionally rich foods available. 

 Spinach served as a side dish had little to recommend it.  However, spinach blends exceptionally well with almost everything so adding it to dishes is a simple way of increasing nutritional value.  In addition, the rich green colour adds an added dimension to every dish.

The easiest way to incorporate this rich foodstuff into your diet is in soups.  Spinach contains huge amounts of iron, anti-oxidants that fight free-radicals and magnesium as well as potassium, sodium, protein, calcium, fibers, vitamins A and C.  It is probably most known for the rich iron content.  It is also extremely low calorie so can safely be added to any weight reduction 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/

 In this tasty recipe, I have added coriander to bring out the flavour of the spinach and, to serve; I also add natural yoghurt to ensure the dish has sufficient protein content for any vegetarian diet. 

I like to prepare my soups the evening before they are served to allow the flavours to blend well.

Spinach and coriander soup:

 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 lb fresh spinach leaves

3 teaspoon dried coriander leaf

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.

Peel and dice the potato. 

Prepare your stock:

To 1 & half litres of boiling water, add two stock cubes.  Do not add salt as these already contain salt. 

Add coriander.

Add black pepper.

Stir until the cubes dissolve and the herbs are mixed in.

To Cook:

1.  In a large pot/pan heat the olive oil over a low heat.  You can check if it is ready by leaving one or two pieces of diced onion in it.  When the onion starts to sizzle it is hot enough to add the rest of the onion.

2.  Cook the diced onion over a low heat until the onion is transparent.

3.  Add the diced potato.

4.  Cover the pan with a lid and cook (sweat) the vegetables for 5 minutes.

5.  Add the shredded spinach leaves and the stock mixture.

6.  Bring the soup to a slow boil.

7.  Reduce heat to slow/low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

8.  Remove from heat and use a hand or electric blender to make a smooth soup.

9.  Add a tablespoon of natural yoghurt and serve with crusty bread.

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