While some of us love a fresh spinach salad, a little cooking and flavor can get anyone, even our kids, to eat a good size portion of spinach. Try some of these suggestions for steaming or sautéing, especially Irv’s Creamed Spinach!

Steaming. You can steam spinach quickly simply by placing it with no added water in a covered pan on medium low heat. Fill the pan up, as it shrinks a lot while cooking. Turn it once after about 2-3 minutes when the spinach on the bottom starts to wilt and replace the lid for another 2-3 minutes. Squeezing some lemon and adding a pinch of allspice gives a flavor we all like in our household.

Sautéing. Put a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and heat up. Add some chopped onion, salt to taste and a clove of garlic if you like. Sauté until the onion is softened. If you like mushrooms, you can add some bite size pieces and sauté for 3-4 minutes until they are tender. Add the spinach and cover the pan. Stir after 2-3 minutes and cover for a final 2-3 minutes. Instead of salt, you can try adding a couple teaspoons of tamari or vegetable bullion for the last minute.

Irv’s Creamed Spinach

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• spinach, about 1 pound
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• ½ cup light coconut milk* (or cream)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• Pinch of salt

Place the spinach in a pan and steam. When all the leaves are wilted, chop them up in the pan with a spatula. You can also chop, blend or food process the spinach before cooking if you prefer. Add the butter, coconut milk, curry powder and salt to taste. Cook 2-3 more minutes until creamy and serve. Serves 4. Enjoy!