Do You Know about Spinach Benefits and Want a Healthy Vegetarian Recipe?

Are you aware of spinach benefits and would like to find a healthy vegetarian recipe incorporating this leafy green vegetable?

Spinach benefits, besides the plus of a delicious taste, are many, nutritionally speaking.

This leafy green is an excellent source of: vitamin A, vitamin K, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, the amino acid tryptophan, and vitamin E. In addition, if you’re looking for foods high in dietary fiber and antioxidants, this green is a very good source.

This is a delicious recipe that I adapted from Dr. John McDougall at http://www.drmcdougall.com (a new window will open). I made a few changes to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand, and it turned out to be a very tasty and healthy cooking recipe. Here it is, for your enjoyment…

Veggie Benedicts (or Veggie Florentine)

Note: The recipe calls for the sauce to be ladled over fat-free English muffins, atop which are avocado and fresh tomato. I didn’t have avocado on hand, so I lightly sautéed tofu in a small amount of coconut oil—just to be clear, Dr. McDougall does not recommend using oil or fat in food preparation. If you use avocado, the recipe would be no-added fat. You could also steam or bake the tofu.

While the tofu was cooking, I prepared the sauce...

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup nondairy milk (I used soymilk; you could also use a nut milk like cashew milk)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (I used lime juice)
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (I minced fresh onion, about 1 teaspoon)
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (I minced fresh garlic, about 1/2 clove)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/16 teaspoon turmeric
• pinch of paprika
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water (I used arrowroot)

Place the nondairy milk in a saucepan, add the remaining ingredients (except the cornstarch) and mix well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the cornstarch and continue stirring and cooking until it’s thickened and smooth. It doesn’t take long!

Ingredients for the Base: Bread (whole grain) and spinach.

If you use spinach, you can use it raw if you like. I briefly warmed it up in the pan that held the tofu, just to soften the greens.

Toast a thick slice of multigrain bread or a whole grain English muffin. Place the spinach, then the sliced avocado or sautéed tofu on the bread. Cover with the sauce. I added a sliced tomato to the side for a colorful presentation.

Enjoy eating this tasty dish as you know you're getting lots of wonderful spinach benefits.

Veggie Benedicts