Just last night, I made salmon, broccoli, green beans, garlic bread, and pasta roni shells (pictured above). After I cooked the pasta roni, I cut up some spinach and dropped it in there. My family liked it and you can’t taste the spinach, but you are getting the nutrients.
Add spinach to more of your meals such as
Nutrients
I add spinach to many of my dishes. I should try this one.
Article from the NY Times by Martha Rose Shulman
Green rice — arroz verde — is a great way to get your kids to eat spinach without realizing it. Serve this rice with just about anything — it has a fresh, herbal flavor. You can make the dish with brown rice, but it won’t have the usual vivid green color. If you use basmati, you’ll have a much larger yield, as basmati expands about twice as much as regular white rice.
2 cups chicken, vegetable or garlic stock, or water
1 cup tightly packed baby spinach
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil or extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup long grain rice or basmati rice, rinsed several times with cold water
Salt to taste
1. Combine 1 cup of the stock or water with the spinach and cilantro in a blender, and blend at high speed until smooth. Place the remaining stock or water in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer.
2. Heat the oil in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, three to five minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic and rice. Stir together for a few minutes until the rice is beginning to crackle. Add the simmering stock or water and salt to taste (I use about 3/4 teaspoon). Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer five minutes.
3. Uncover, and stir in the blended green mixture from the blender. Rinse the blender with about 1/4 cup water, and add it to the rice. Stir once, raise the heat and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Turn off the heat, uncover and place a clean kitchen towel over the pot. Replace the lid, and allow the rice to stand undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a spoon or fork, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve.
Yield: Serves four to six as a side dish.
Advance preparation: You can prepare this several hours ahead. When the rice is done, spread it in a lightly oiled baking dish, uncovered, and allow to cool completely. Then cover with foil, and when ready to serve, reheat in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
Nutritional information per serving (based on four servings): 231 calories; 4 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 42 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 39 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 5 grams protein
Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.
