November
2011 Newsletter
Food Focus: Spinach
Who doesn’t remember
Popeye the Sailor Man? He has recently
turned 80, ever and always associated with spinach. There is some mythology about iron being what
made Popeye so strong when he ate spinach, though vitamins A and K are the true
winners in the nutrient content for spinach, providing respectively 189% DV
(Daily Value) and 555% DV. Iron in half
a cup of boiled spinach, on the other hand, only comes in at 18%DV. (Environmental Nutrition, March 2009,
p.8)
Spinach is not recommended for those
worried about their bones and wanting to absorb calcium because spinach – like
Swiss chard and beet greens – contains oxalic acid, which binds with calcium
and thus makes it unavailable. If osteoporosis
might be an issue, better switch to other leafy greens like kale or collards or
lettuce.
Recipe
of the Month: Spinach Pesto
Ingredients:
2
cups of washed spinach leaves, packed (about half a 10 oz. bag)
1
cup basil leaves, packed
¼
cup fresh parsley, packed
½
cup olive oil
2/3
cup pine nuts
3
garlic cloves
1-2
tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt
& pepper to taste
Directions: Wash
the spinach, basil, and parsley well, especially the spinach, which tends to be
gritty, and remove thick stems. Fill the
food processor first with the chopped garlic cloves and pine nuts, then all the
leaves, and finally the olive oil. After
blending, taste to see whether and how much lemon juice, salt, and/or pepper
you want.
(Adapted
from a recipe in Greens Glorious Greens, Albi & Walthers, St.
Martin’s Press, 1996.
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