Summer Eating, Part 4

For Popeye & friends.

Welcome back for the last part of our four-week series on seasonal eating. What is more summer than two things - a salad filled with crisp, raw veggies or a smoothie? Fun fact: both are made better by adding spinach. 

Say what, that bitter, sometimes hard to incorporate leafy green? Yep! Here's how to add it to nearly everything for a nutrient-dense seasonal punch.

SPINACH

Health benefits of spinach:

Let's pause and briefly discuss just how good spinach is for you. A three-cup portion provides over 300% of the daily need for bone-supporting vitamin K. Spinach also provides over 160% of the daily goal for vitamin A, and about 40% for vitamin C, which both support immune function and promote healthy skin. Sounds like a winner AND a superfood.

Now, how to cook with it on a hot summer day, more creative than your average spinach salad recipes: 

• Freeze it in individual bags. Add heavy handfuls to fruit or fruit-free protein smoothies. You can't taste it - swear! 

• Finely chop spinach, mango, avocado, serrano chili peppers and pour over a bowl of plain, whole milk greek yogurt. Top with lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper. 

• Make this Lemony Turkey Soup with Greens and serve cold. It's sooooo good! 

• Heat olive oil in a pan. Add spinach in (alot will turn into a little) and let it wilt. Add in 1/2 cup dry white wine (like Pinot Grigio), a dash of red pepper flakes, lemon juice, s&p. Cook until you don't smell the wine anymore (a few minutes).