Spinach Cooking Tips

HEALTHY COOKING TIPS FOR SPINACH

Tender, fresh spinach is delicious in salads, pasta, soups and dips and is an easy, healthy addition to many meals. Plus it's versatile—spinach is equally tasty raw or cooked. And spinach teams with important nutrients, such as folate, vitamin E and lutein, to keep your body strong. The most versatile of cooking greens, spinach is great blanched and creamed, sauteed with brown butter, or wilted and tossed with pasta. Or don't cook it at all: the spinach salad opposite does double-duty as a fresh and tender pizza topping.

Selecting And Storing Spinach

• While buying spinach always look for fresh-looking, brightly colored and crisp leaves. Avoid wilted or yellowing leaves. The crinkly leaves of savory spinach are more flavorful (though slightly tougher) than the flat-leaf variety. 
• Spinach sold in bunches will last up to 3 days. For washed and packaged spinach, follow the expiration date, no matter how fresh the leaves appear, since bacteria can develop. (Most packaged spinach has a 2-week shelf life.)
• Spinach decays quickly and should be eaten within three days of bringing it home.
• Store spinach in a sealed plastic back in your refrigerator crisper.
• The bag should be wrapped loosely around the spinach.
• Do not wash spinach in water before storage. Water only hastens spoilage.

Few Healthy Cooking Tips For Spinach

• Wash your spinach well just before using it in a delicious recipe.
• Remove excess water from leaves with a salad spinner.Trim off tough stems as much as possible, and remove any root material.Chop or use whole leaves - you can also chop the spinach after cooking, if you wish.Spinach shrinks dramatically in volume when cooked. One bunch might serve four people as a side dish... if they're not especially fond of spinach, that is. Good thing it's pretty cheap.
• Versatile and tasteful, spinach combines well with other ingredients - notables include dairy products cream and cheese, and eggs. 
• A grate of nutmeg in purees and soups enhances its natural sweetness.
• Mushrooms, garlic and chillies are just a few other flavour combinations that work particularly well. One of the best fish pairings is with smoked haddock and spinach. 
• Great in pasta dishes, flans and stuffing, spinach is also popular in Greek-style pies made with filo pastry, try combining it with Feta cheese.
• The best way to cook spinach down is in olive oil, rather than plunging the leaves in boiling water. This way, more of the natural flavour is retained. Try adding a few toasted pine nuts and a sprinkling of raisins for a sweet, nutty contrast to the leaves. 
• When a recipe calls for cooked fresh spinach, 1 pound of fresh spinach will yield 10-12 cups of torn leaves, which will cook down to about 1 cup. One package (10 ounces) of frozen spinach leaves yields about 1-1/2 cups after cooking. Therefore, you can substitute 1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach leaves for 1-1/2 pounds of fresh spinach.

Healthy Cooking Methods For Spinach

• Chopped Spinach-  Add a handful of coarsely chopped spinach to sandwiches, eggs, pasta, grain dishes or your favorite soup especially lentil, chicken noodle or minestrone.
• Steamed Spinach-  Heat spinach in a steamer basket just until wilted, then plunge into ice water. Press out excess moisture and chop. Mix spinach with Greek yogurt, garlic, green onions and dill to make a quick dip for crudites and whole-grain crackers.
• Wilted Spinach-  Top spinach greens with hot grilled vegetables and a little vinaigrette. Toss to wilt spinach.
• Creamed Spinach-  Saute some onion or leeks until softened, add spinach, and cover for a few minutes; stir in a dash of cream and season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
• Sauteed Spinach-  Saute chopped shallots or garlic in extra-virgin olive oil, add 4 to 5 ounces of spinach and continue sauteing for a few minutes until cooked down, then finish with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
• Blended Spinach-  Throw a handful of spinach into your morning smoothie for an extra helping of phytonutrients and fiber.