When caught in a pinch, Popeye the Sailor opened up a can of spinach, and then starts to beat up the evil Bluto with his hammer-like fists. Even if Bluto is far bigger and more powerful than Popeye, he’s strong to the finish because he eats his spinach. While Popeye is beloved by kids and adults the world over, his favorite vegetable is not exactly a favorite among children. One spoonful of badly-prepared spinach can have kids growling, “That’s all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.”
Spinach is an important source of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that help your kids develop a resistance against illnesses and diseases. Spinach can also help your kids develop a healthy mind and grow a healthy body. The problem is that like many green leafy vegetables, spinach is not exactly a favorite among children. If you have problems making your children eat spinach, here are some ways to make them as strong and healthy as Popeye.
What is Spinach?
Spinach is a leafy, flowering plant in the Amaranthaceae family; the same family of alligator weed, pigweed, and cockscombs. Spinach is a very flavorful vegetable that’s often used in salads, dip, soups, and as an accompaniment to meat and fish dishes. Like all vegetables, spinach is an excellent source of dietary fiber.
Spinach contains many healthful nutrients that help nourish the body and fulfill the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for many vitamins and minerals. Spinach is known to be an excellent source of iron, calcium, and vitamins A (beta-carotene), C (ascorbic acid), B9 (folate), and K (phylloquinone).
There are three types of spinach available on the market today:
Savoy spinach is the most common type of fresh spinach available from supermarkets. Savoy spinach has dark green curly leaves, and are usually sold in bunches. Savoy spinach is very flavorful, although it is quite difficult to clean compared to other spinach varieties.
Smooth-leafed spinach is a variety of spinach grown for canning, or packed in plastic bags for freezing. Smooth-leafed spinach keeps its color even in freezing temperatures. The variety is often used for processed, ready-to-eat spinach.
Semi-Savoy spinach is a hybrid of Savoy spinach and smooth-leafed spinach. The variety can be sold fresh in bunches, canned, or packaged in plastic bags. Semi-Savoy spinach has curled-up leaves, but is not as difficult to wash as Savoy varieties.
savoy spinach smooth-leafed spinach semi-savoy spinach
Buy Fresh Spinach
While it’s convenient to buy canned or pre-cooked spinach, there is still no substitute for fresh spinach sold in farmers’ markets, flea markets, and supermarkets that sell fresh produce. Canned and processed spinach tend to lose their nutrients during canning or processing, although many manufacturers would supplement the lost nutrients. By buying fresh spinach, you also help farmers turn up a bigger profit for the crop.
In 2006, five deaths were reported because of spinach tainted with e. coli bacteria, and in 2007, 8,000 crates of spinach were recalled because they were contaminated with salmonella. Thanks to improving food safety standards, fresh spinach is now safer than ever before, although you still need to be on the lookout for rare food safety warning involving spinach.
The Right Way To Cook Spinach
Many people make the mistake of cooking spinach to the point that it turns gray, sloppy, and unappealing. Kids won’t eat a bowl of boiled spinach because it looks terrible, and the vegetable has lost all its flavor. When this happens, your children are better off drinking the water you boiled the spinach in. Instead of boiling spinach, here are some ways that you can cook and serve spinach without cooking it to death:
Raw. The best way to serve spinach while preserving all of its nutrients is to not cook it at all. Cooking tends to draw out many of the nutrients found in the vegetable. When cleaned properly, spinach can be served raw as a bed for dishes like roasts, or as a fresh ingredient in salads.
Steamed. Steaming locks in the flavor, maintains the color, and preserves the texture of fresh spinach. Bamboo steamers, electric steamers, or a steamer basket on a pan or wok can cook spinach without making it lose valuable nutrients into the cooking water.
Sautéed. Your kids may not like spinach because of its flavor or texture. Sautéed with other flavorful spices and herbs, spinach can feature prominently as the main dish of a meal like lunch or dinner. You can heat the vegetable through to preserve its crispness, or cook it for a longer time to add an interesting texture to the dish.
Baked. Spinach is a common ingredient for casseroles, and baked pasta dishes like lasagna (Tips on how to layer lasagna). Spinach can highlight the other ingredients in a casserole or baked pasta dishes. With the right cooking time and variety of spinach, you can even make the spinach the focal point of the dish.
Spinach Recipe Ideas
Like almost all green leafy vegetables, spinach must be cooked quickly to preserve its color and texture. Boiling and stewing is out of the question when it comes to spinach, because it is quite delicate and sensitive compared to other vegetables. When cooking spinach, you also have to make it appealing and palatable for children’s tastes. You also have to use a fast cooking method, because you don’t want to spend all day slaving away over a hot stove making a simple spinach dish.
Spinach is an obvious ingredient for pasta sauces, quiches and soups. There are many other ways to enjoy spinach without having to eat pasta, quiche, or creamed spinach soup. Here are some quick and easy ways to cook spinach:
Chinese-Style Spinach and Garlic Sauté
If you’re a vegetarian, or if you’re watching your weight, here is a quick and easy way to cook spinach in less than two minutes:
Brown garlic cloves in one tablespoon of sesame oil or peanut oil on high heat.
Sauté a few Chinese shitake mushrooms to add a unique depth and texture to the dish.
Add the spinach, and cover the pan for about 30 seconds to allow the spinach to wilt.
While the spinach is still very green, toss in one tablespoon of oyster sauce and a small dash of liquid seasoning.
Add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
Serve over deep-fried vermicelli noodles.
Spinach and Scallops
Spinach goes well with seafood. If you have shucked scallops and a lot of spinach, here’s a great way to make a mouth-watering spinach and scallops dish:
Dredge the scallops in flour seasoned with fresh sea salt, lemon pepper, and cayenne powder. Deep-fry them in hot oil until cooked through.
Brown some garlic, ginger strips, and onions in a pan over medium heat.
Add the spinach, and cover the pan until the spinach is wilted and cooked through.
Add the scallops and turn down the heat to low.
Pour a cup of white **** to taste, and allow the alcohol to evaporate.
Serve on top of a bed of Melba toast or rice, and enjoy with a glass of white **** or sparkling water.
Asian-Style Spinach and Chicken Wraps
Flat-leafed spinach make for an excellent wrap for chicken dishes, that you can cook in a way inspired by traditional Asian cooking. Here’s a way that you can use leftover roast chicken and spinach, along with some traditional Asian ingredients, to make your children appreciate the really savory taste:
Wrap leftover chunks of leftover roast chicken in broad spinach leaves.
Prepare a simple curry sauce by mixing Thai green curry, long green chilies, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, ginger, garlic, and onions with a thick chicken broth. As much as possible, do not use bouillon cubes to prepare the broth.
Bring the thick curry broth to a running boil, and cook the chicken wrapped in spinach through.
Serve the wraps in the curry broth with steaming hot rice or pita bread. To cut the spice, serve the dish with fresh spinach salad and coconut water.
(For another Spinach recipe, learn how to make Spinach Artichoke dip)
Positive Reinforcement
Some children may not like the idea of eating spinach, and it may take a while for them to fully appreciate and finish a meal of spinach. Instead of forcing them to eat spinach, it’s often better to suggest eating spinach. One way that you can accomplish this is to prepare as many spinach dishes and serve them whenever possible. That way, your kids will have no choice but to eat their vegetables. Remember to make the spinach look appealing, remain flavorful and colorful, and have an interesting texture.
While spinach will not give you the same powerful arms as Popeye the Sailor, the humble vegetable has many health benefits that can help you go, grow, and glow. With these dishes and tips to help your kids eat more spinach, you’re sure that your kids will be strong to the finish, because they eat their spinach.