Blanch it, stir-fry it, juice it or eat it raw. Spinach is a versatile vegetable that is delicious, cooked or not. As young impressionable children, many of us were motivated to eat spinach thanks to Popeye. We wanted to be strong, have the ability to shoot spinach out of cans just by squeezing it, and maybe get them big forearms. However, are spinaches all they are made out to be? Read on to find out more!
Why Is Popeye Obsessed With Spinach
Popeye’s obsession with spinach began with chemist Erich von Wolf’s experiment in 1870. Von Wolf was examining the amount of iron in different green vegetables, spinach being one of them. However, Von Wolf overlooked a decimal point when transcribing his findings on spinach. The actual iron content of 3.5 milligrams in 100gram servings of spinach became 35 milligrams.
The mistake caused spinach’s status as a vegetable to rise up and eventually, Popeye’s studio executives chose spinach as Popeye’s source of strength.
Health Benefits
Spinach contains lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that may help in preventing deteriorating eyesight. Spinach also contains vitamin C, E and A that helps to prevent acne and give you that healthy rosy glow on your skin. Spinach is also recommended for people with high blood pressure as spinach's high potassium content can get rid of the excess sodium in the body.
Frozen, Fresh, Canned
In our beautiful sunny Singapore, frozen and fresh spinach are easily available at any supermarket. Canned spinach, on the other hand, is hard to find in stores. It is a shame that canned spinach is not available locally as it last longer and cost cheaper than fresh spinach.
Pro tip: You can easily purchase canned spinach online.
How to Keep Spinach Fresh
To keep your spinach fresh for longer, you will need a container, 2-3 pieces of dry kitchen paper towel and do 4 easy steps.
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Lay down the 2-3 pieces of dry kitchen paper towel on the container.
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Stack the spinach leaves on top of the paper towel.
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Remove any wilted leaves.
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Close the container and store it in the refrigerator.
Pro tip: Make sure that the spinach leaves are as dry as possible before you put them into the container. Change the kitchen paper towel as well if it is wet.
Instead of sautéing the spinach for dinner, how about giving the juice recipes below a try?
Spinach Kiwi Apple
Ingredients:
- Spinach 30g
- Apple 310g
- Kiwi 40g
Steps:
- Peel the kiwi, and slice into appropriate sizes.
- Remove the seeds from the apple, and slice.
- Wash spinach leaves thoroughly, and slice.
- Put lever on “close.” First extract about half of the prepared apple, then insert spinach and kiwi.
- Finish inserting the rest of the apple and put lever to “half-open” position. Allow pulp to be expelled from drum
Spinach Kale
Ingredients:
- Spinach 30g
- Kale 30g
- Orange 250g
- Pineapple 100g
Steps:
- Peel orange, and remove pineapple peel and core. Slice into appropriate sizes. Wash spinach thoroughly and cut.
- Put lever on “close” and extract orange.
- Insert kale and spinach, and switch lever to “half-open”. Then insert pineapple.
Spinach Apple Cucumber
Ingredients:
- Spinach 30g
- Apple 290g
- Cucumber 70g
Steps:
- Cut off the ends of the cucumber, remove prickles, and slice into appropriate sizes.
- Wash spinach leaves thoroughly, remove the seeds from the apple, and slice.
- Put lever on “close.” Insert ingredients to extract.
- When all of the ingredients have been put in, switch lever to “half-open” position. Allow the compressed pulp to be expelled from the drum.
Spinach Basil Pineapple
Ingredients:
- Spinach 40g
- Basil 4g
- Pineapple 220g
- White Grapes 100g
Steps:
- Remove peel and core of the pineapple. Slice into appropriate sizes.
- Wash white grapes, basil, and spinach thoroughly.
- Place lever on “close” and extract ingredients, alternating insertion.
- Once the last of the ingredients is extracted, place lever on “half-open” and allow pulp to be expelled.
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Need some ideas for juice recipes? Check out our Hurom recipes here: https://huromsingapore.com/pages/juice-recipes-health