This week’s challenge – make spinach scrumptious. It’s an incredibly nutritious veggie, but if served on its own, my money’s on it ending up on the floor rather than in my 18 month old’s tum tum. Luckily there are loads of easy and yummy recipes that use this iron-rich ingredient – and there’s a mound of research to make you feel good about your choice!
We all know Popeye got his superhuman strength from spinach. But can the rest of us garner the same benefit from this leafy green?
It’s true that spinach contains up to 10 times more iron (which improves blood flow to muscles) than other green vegetables, but scientists at Rutgers University have also found it contains a steroid that could contribute to spinach’s superior strength-inducing qualities.
When researchers placed the phytoecdysteroid (a steroid shown to ramp up protein synthesis in muscles) on cultured human muscle, it sped up growth by 20 percent. Unfortunately, you would need to eat more than a kilogram of spinach every day to gain equivalent amounts of the steroid – but don’t tell that to the kids!
Here’s a recipe from epicurious.com (with a little variation) that I use for creamed spinach. It’s easy peasy, and delicious, and my toddler gobbles it up with no grumbling.
PREPARATION: Cook spinach in 1 inch of boiling salted water until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Squeeze small handfuls of spinach to remove as much moisture as possible, then coarsely chop. If using frozen spinach, either microwave or boil, then drain.
Heat milk and cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until warm. Meanwhile, cook onion in butter (or olive oil) in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in nutmeg, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until heated through.
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