For National Spinach Day: Creative Ways To Enjoy This Green - Page 15

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It’s National Fresh Spinach Day and while not every vegetable gets its own holiday, when you consider all of the nutrients and superpowers of this green, you can see why we should dedicate a full day to it. Spinach is an excellent source of iron, which is important for the healthy function of red blood cells, which transport oxygen around the body. In other words, you could say that spinach helps the life force of your being. Spinach is also loaded with folate, which your body needs to produce genetic materials, and for the healthy division of cells. Don’t underestimate this leafy green that makes the bed of those strawberry and goat cheese salads. Understandably, however, it’s not exactly loaded with flavor. Even making it Popeye’s favorite food couldn’t trick kids into liking it. If you need creative ways to enjoy this food, here are 15.

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Spinach and feta omelet

This is one protein-rich breakfast. Add a half a cup of chopped spinach with two tablespoons of feta cheese to your next omelet. Remember that the spinach will wilt down to less than one-fourth its original size, and the feta has such a strong flavor that you won’t even taste the greens.

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Spinach, goat cheese, fruit + nut salad

Spinach makes an excellent bed for a salad containing any mixture of fruits, nuts, and goat cheese. Try spinach with tangerine slices, pistachios, and goat cheese with a balsamic vinegar or spinach with almonds, strawberries, and goat cheese with vinaigrette.

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Spinach artichoke dip. Hello.

Just go heavier on the spinach than the artichoke. If you’re trying to cut calories, here’s a great skinny recipe for a healthy spinach artichoke dip.

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Blend into hummus

Blend freshly chopped spinach into your homemade hummus. You’ll wind up with a beautiful green hummus, but barely taste the spinach in it.

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Spinach, sundried tomato, + goat cheese pasta

Prepare whole wheat spaghetti and once it’s hot and ready in the bowl, add fresh, raw spinach (this will cook by the heat of the pasta), sun dried tomatoes, and goat cheese.

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Mix it into pesto

You can easily add finely chopped spinach into your homemade pesto sauce for a healthier pasta dish. Or, you can spread the stuff on toast, put it on flatbread, or mix it into your Greek yogurt dip.

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Put it in your smoothie

Get the green in your green smoothies from spinach. Here are some great recipes for easy smoothies, many of which will go well with spinach.

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Or in your agua fresca

Agua fresca is the new hot drink of the summer. Well, literally cold but figuratively hot. It’s low in sugar while remaining wonderfully tasty and refreshing. Try spinach and pineapple agua fresca for something pretty and tropical.

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Sub it in for lettuce in a sandwich

Next time you’re making a sandwich, skip the nutrition-less iceberg lettuce and add in spinach. It will give you that little crunch you want, while offering extra nutrients.

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Make spinach chips

Set your oven to 325 degrees. Toss fresh spinach in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed chili pepper flakes, and parmesan. Arrange the leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

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Add it to minestrone

Get more spinach in your minestrone soup. This soup was meant to have tons of the greens, and all of the other wonderful flavors from the beans, macaroni, and tomatoes will complement it nicely.

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Stuff it into enchiladas

Next time you’re making cheese enchiladas, add some spinach to your mixture. It goes great with this dish, since it’ll just be smothered in enchilada sauce.

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Add it to your quiche

If you’re making quiche or frittata, add some chopped up spinach. Add cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, broccoli, and prosciutto for a delicious breakfast or lunch dish.

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Put it in your manicotti

Stuff spinach in your manicotti, along with ricotta, and cover it in your favorite tomato sauce. It adds much-needed color to this dish, but, flavor-wise, is barely detectable.