The Ins And Outs of
|
|
Step 1: Choose organic spinach whenever possible since it is a card-carrying memeber of The Dirty Dozen that must be purchased organic due to its high pesticide content.
"But organics are dirty. Ewwww!"
Please remember, this is a GOOD THING! So many of us have gotten used to buying totally clean and perfectly sanitary produce. Believe it or not, that commercial produce you've been purchasing that looks so pretty is in all actuality weak and sad due to the poisonous pesticides and herbicides it has grown up with
Plus, organics are ALIVE and filled with nutrients, which is your purpose to eating in the first place, right? Don't worry, we'll clean that spinach to perfection.
When choosing Spinach, be sure to examine the leaves -- they should be large and full. Avoid bunches that have leaves that are riddled with tears and holes, which could suggest it is out of season, or has been mishandled.
How To Clean and Prep Spinach
Step 2: Fill a bowl (or a Salad Spinner, as I have done here) with clean, filtered water and add 2-3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice, or any other edible acid, such as Vinegar. This will help to clean your Spinach more thoroughly. Don't skip this step -- it's very important as the acidic properties will help to kill any little critters that may be in your LIVE NUTRIENT PACKED spinach.
Step 3: Pinch off the leaves at the top of the stem. Discard stems.
Step 4: Soak the leaves in the water/lemon juice mixture for at least 5 minutes.
Step 5: Drain.
Step 6: Rinse. This veggie has a reputation for being fairly dirty, so you will most likely have to rinse and drain a couple more times until the water is clear.
Step 7: Spin dry. If you don't have a Salad Spinner, I highly recommend you get one as it will become indispensable to you.
Otherwise, you can drain thoroughly and lay out on paper towels to air dry. Or simply use it immediately.
Now you can begin the short process of cooking spinach or you can use it raw. However, you may want to chop it first. Here's a simple way to accomplish this.
Step 8: To chop: It's easier to chop the Spinach when it's gathered in a bit of a roll. So just grab a handful and roll it together -- it doesn't have to be perfect! Run the knife through the length of the roll of Spinach. This will cut the roll in half the long way.
Step 9: Next, make cuts into the Spinach along the width for bite-sized pieces.
Your Spinach is ready to go!
Cooking Spinach
Boiled SpinachPureed Spinach
Sauteed Spinach
Or Eat Your Spinach RAW
Spinach Vegan Flavor Matches
Allspice
Bacon, meat-free (I like Fakin' Bacon. Eat sparingly;
this is not a health food)
Bell Peppers, especially red
Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
Brown rice syrup
Butter, non-dairy (I like Earth Balance)
Cardamom
Carrots
Cheese, non-dairy
Chili peppers (such as jalapeno)
Chives
Cream, non-dairy
Cumin
Curry
Extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic
Ginger
Horseradish
Leeks
Lemon
Lemongrass
Mint
Mushrooms
Mustard
Nutmeg
Nuts (especially almonds, walnuts and pine nuts)
Olives
Onions, all
Oranges
Pepper, black
Raisins
Seeds (especially pumpkin)
Sour Cream, non-dairy
Soy
Sucanat (or other dry sweetener)
Tarragon
Tomatoes
Vinegar (especially red and wine)
Yogurt, dairy-free
If You Like Spinach Try...
KaleSwiss Chard
Greens (Turnip, Mustard, Collard)
Discover the Nutritional Value of Spinach
World's Healthiest Foods.com
Back to the top
The Ins And Outs Of Cooking Spinach
Discover Vegan Collard, Mustard and Turnip Greens!
Visit the Vegan Cooking Guide to discover how EASY vegan cooking can be!
Discover the Vegan Food Pyramid!
Take a peek at the Vegan Coach Sitemap to see all the information VeganCoach.com has to offer you.
Go to the Vegan Coach Homepage
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y! MyWeb
|
