Know Your Food: Spinach

Since spinach is preferred fresh, as one half gets cooked the other half of that big fresh bag tends to get left to rot in the back of the fridge. The reasons why we love spinach and like to have it often is quite simple: it is delicious, nutritionally high and it goes well with almost every meal. Even with smoothies.

Beyond the taste, spinach is key to our nutrition because of the amount of iron it contains. In addition to iron, it is the green that has the highest amount of vitamin K. Spinach is also a great A, C, B12, fiber, manganese, and magnesium source. Although it can be found all year round, the best season to harvest spinach is Spring.

So, how can we make use of every bit of it?

First of all, every part of spinach is entirely edible which means that there is no need to waste even one bit. If you’re wondering about how to make use of leftover or excess parts of spinach, check out our suggestions.

1- You can add spinach to practically any dish with greens. One of the most exciting aspects of cooking is finding the perfect taste for you through experimenting in the kitchen.

2- Pesto. Who says basil is a requirement for pesto?  It’s your Pesto, you can use Brussels sprouts or spinach if you want to! Leftovers make a great base for sauces for a delicious and quick solution in a pinch.

3- You can use the remaining fresh spinach leaves in cheese or chicken panini the next day and add a healthy, delicious touch to it.

4- Why not make your home pizzas even more delicious by using spinach as a topping?

5- Instead of storing “yesterday’s” spinach for days in the fridge, cook it with some eggs the next morning. Once you try it, you will never want to separate them again.

6- Leftover spinach makes a great dip base for spontaneous get-togethers with friends.

7- Smoothie. Another great thing about spinach is that it adds great flavors to drinks. Whether you mix it with other vegetables, make a green smoothie or use it with tropical fruits like pineapple.

8- Try spinach in a salad you’ll see that its flavor stands out more than any other greens.

9- Another way to save spinach from going to waste is to freeze it. You can prolong the life of many foods by freezing for later. This applies to fresh spinach as well. Try freezing it in small portions and you’ll see how easy it will be to add to your dishes whenever you like.

The first thing we need to do when purchasing food is to determine our needs and then to shop accordingly. We can help maintain sustainability by opting to eat food when they are in season. This also means reacquainting ourselves with food, in terms of why, what, how and when we consume. From shopping to preparation, from dining to leftovers; knowledge is key in avoiding waste and finding taste on our plates. The power to create the kind of future we want to live in is in our hands. It’s up to us to make change happen, to take the steps and precautions that shape our world for the better, and that starts at home.

Sources.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/ingredient-focus-spinach

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168462/nutrients