Spinach Facts and Recipes

Spinach is a native plant of Persia and was introduced to China in the 7th century.

Spinach is a member of the goose-foot family and is closely related to beets and chard.

Spinach is of the highest quality when eaten fresh. It loses nutritional properties every day after picking. Refrigeration can slow the deterioration but even doing that does not prevent half of the major nutrients from being lost by the eighth day after harvest.

There are advantages to both cooking spinach and eating it raw. While cooking spinach reduces Vitamin C and folate levels, it boosts beta-carotein and lutein bioavailability at the same time. Lightly steaming spinach will help preserve nutrients. Best option is to maybe alternate both cooked and raw.

There are many different varieties of spinach, these are some of the main types:

Savoy (Dark green, crinkly and curly leaves. Commonly found in supermarkets.)

Flat/smooth leaf spinach (Most commonly used for canned and processed spinach products.)

Semi-savoy (Hybrid variety with slightly crinkled leaves. It has the same texture as savoy, but is esier to clean.)

Baby spinach leaves are soft and tender in texture and are flat, spade-shaped . Unlike mature spinach varieties that generally require blanching to mellow the bitter taste, baby spinach has a very clean and mild flavor. Unlike other spinach varieties baby spinach is not gritty or sandy and the stems do not need to be removed.

Spinach Recipes

Spinach And Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients
9 ounce package linguine
7 ounce package pesto with basil
5 cups shredded fresh spinach leaves
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 cup halved thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1.Cook linguine according to package directions then rinse and drain.
2.Combine pasta, spinach, tomato, onion and pine nuts in large bowl.
3.Combine pesto, lemon juice and salt in small bowl then add to pasta and toss well.
4.Serve immediately or refrigerate.

grouprecipes.com

Spinach and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:
3 medium eggs, beaten.
20 oz of frozen chopped spinach.
4 oz of cheddar cheese, grated.
1 cup of cottage cheese.
¼ cup of butter, softened.
2 teaspoons of flour.
Salt and pepper.

Preparation Instructions:
Cook the spinach as directed on its packaging, then drain.
Mix the spinach, cottage cheese, cheddar, butter, eggs, flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix throughly.
Spoon into a greased baking dish and Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50-60 minutes.

spinachrecipes.org

Spinach Dip Recipe

1 cup safflower mayonnaise
1 bunch freesh spinach, chopped
1 cup chopped green onion
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2-3 drops Tabasco auce
ground pepper to taste
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Put mayonnaise in a blender; add spinach and green onion.
Blend for 2-3 minutes.
Spoon into medium size bowl; fold in the yogurt and remaining ingredients, except parsley.
Chill
Just before serving, add parsley.

cooks.com

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Eating Healthy As We Grow Older

In the below video Brenda Walsh, an outpatient clinical dietician discusses ways of eating healthy as we grow older.

Making sure to have 3 servings of a fortified dairy product daily and 2 servings of a fatty fish such as salmon every week will supply the required amount of calcium and vitamin D.

Although balanced supplements such as Boost and Ensure can be beneficial they should not be used as a meal replacement.

Brenda also discusses the importance of variety in your diet specifically in relation to vegetables. The more colors of vegetables you consume the more likely you are of getting the proper balance of vitamins and minerals you need.

Eating well as we age

Persian Cucumber Recipes

Persian cucumbers

Garlic Persian Cucumber Salad

8 ozs. Cucumber (1 large hothouse cucumber or 3 small Persian cucumbers)
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Cut the Persian cucumbers into quarters lengthwise and slice off the center to remove the seeds. For large hothouse cucumbers you may want to further cut the quarters into eights lengthwise. Then cut into two-inch long pieces. Add the salt and garlic then mix well. Refrigerate the cucumbers for about 30 minutes.

When ready to serve drain the salt extracted juice from the cucumber pieces and arrange on a plate. Be sure to retain the garlic. Pour the sesame oil over the cucumber and serve chilled.

redcook.net

Persian Cucumber Salad with Mint and Feta Recipe

Ingredients

Persian cucumbers, about 5 inches long

1 lb thin skinned, mild (non bitter) cucumbers, such as Persian, Armenian, or Japanese cucumbers, thinly sliced. You might also try it with English cucumbers.
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and cut into 1-inch long segments
2 or 3 red radishes, thinly sliced
10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
White vinegar
Olive oil
1/4 pound feta cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
In a medium sized bowl, gently toss together the sliced cucumbers, red onion, radishes, mint leaves with a little bit of white vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Right before serving, sprinkle on crumbled bits of feta cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

simplyrecipes.com

Persian Cucumber Yogurt

Ingredients
1 (32 ounce) container plain yogurt
3 English cucumbers, peeled and cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
5 tablespoons dried dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions
1.In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and shallot. Season with dill, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

allrecipes.com

For more information about Persian cucumbers and cucumbers in general
please visit our previous post here

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Pearl Onion Facts and Recipes

Contrary to common opinion pearl onions are not a specific variety of onion but a type of tree onion. Pearl onions are small, round, white or red onions harvested when about 1 inch or less in diameter. While still attached to their stems they resemble overgrown scallions or green onions and are often called boiling or baby onions. They are much sweeter than common bulb onions with the white version having a much milder flavor than the red. Pearl onions have traditionally been pickled and used as a garnish and in cocktails but over the years have been incorporated into many mainstream recipes such as casserole dishes such as succotash.

Pearl Onion Recipes

Snap Peas and Pearl Onions

1 lb. sugar snap peas
18 pearl onions, peeled
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. minced fresh mint leaves or 1 tsp. mint flakes
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. salted cashews

Wash pea pods and remove strings and ends.
Saute onions in butter in a large saucepan. Add peas, mint and water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 to 8 minutes, or until crisp tender. Remove from heat; add cashews. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Cooks.com

Pickled Onions

1 1/2 lb. pearl onions, peeled
2 tbsp. pickling salt
1 1/2 c. white vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. pickling spices

Drop onions in boiling water to cover. Boil 3 minutes; drain. Place in cold water. Combine 2 cups water and pickling salt; pour over onions. Let stand 12 hours. Drain; rinse thoroughly.

Combine vinegar, sugar and pickling spice; bring to boiling. Pack onions in hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Cover with pickling liquid, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath (half pints) for 10 minutes. Makes 4 half pints

Cooks.com

Caramelize Pearl Onions

Ingredients
•1 pint fresh pearl onions, peeled
•1/4 cup water
•3 Tbsp. sugar
•1 Tbsp. butter
•1/2 cup orange juice

Directions
1.heat water, sugar and butter in a pan large enough to place the onions in a single layer so they are just touching.
2.Add onions and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking until onions begin to caramelize. Gently toss to glaze all sides.
3.When onions are a deep brown, add orange juice and stir to combine. Remove from heat.

grouprecipes.com

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High Fructose Corn Syrup Podcast

Sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup are used in many foods. Everything from soups to salad dressings seem to include it in varying amounts. Consumption of high fructose corn syrup has gone up dramatically since it was created in the 1960s. Speculation exists that the rise in obesity rates corresponds directly with the increased use of this sweetener although research has yet to definitively support this theory.

In this podcast interview, registered dietitian and nutrition therapist Mary Beth Sodus from the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at the University of Maryland Medical Center, discusses how high fructose corn syrup is made and why many food companies use it. She also shares some of the advice she gives her weight loss patients about high fructose corn syrup.

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