Healthy Spinach Recipes For Weight Loss

Spinach is a desirable leafy green known for aiding in good health. It restores energy, improves the quality of blood and increases vitality. 

Spinach is rich in iron. Take note that iron plays a central role in the proper functioning of red blood cells which help in transporting oxygen around the body, in energy production and DNA synthesis. Spinach also happens to be a very efficient source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid as well as being a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2.

Vitamin K is important for maintaining bone health. Also, it is hard to find vegetables richer in vitamin K than spinach.

A few tasty meals you can make from spinach:

1. Stuffed chicken with spinach and cheese

• 4 boneless chicken breast fillets, skin on
• 85gm spinach leaves, defrosted
• 85gm feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp pine nuts

Method:

First, start with loosening the skin from the chicken. Now, drain the spinach in a sieve. Make sure to press out as much water as possible for you. Go ahead and mix with the feta along with a little black pepper. Now, use the mixture to stuff between the flesh and skin of the chicken, smoothing the skin back over the stuffing. Furthermore, season the chicken all over with a little salt and pepper.

Go ahead and heat the oil in a frying pan with a lid. Now, add the chicken, skin-side down, and continue to fry until the skin turns brown. Simply, turn it over and cook on the other side. Add the pine nuts and fry them until lightly toasted. Add 6 tablespoons of water. Cover everything for 15-20 mins until the chicken is cooked through.

1. Creamed spinach

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 200ml full-fat milk
• 2 x 200gm bags of spinach
• 100ml single cream
• Fresh nutmegs, for grating

Method:

Heat the butter in a saucepan, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the flour. Cook for at least two minutes, then slowly start to whisk in the milk. When it has all been incorporated, gently cook for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, place the spinach in a large colander. Pour over a kettle full of boiling water until the leaves have wilted (you may have to do this twice). Place the spinach in a clean dishcloth, squeeze out any excess liquid, and then roughly chop. Stir into the sauce with the cream, gently heat, finely grate over some nutmeg and season well.

1. Stir fry prawns with pepper and spinach

• 3 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil
• Fat garlic cloves which have been sliced thinly
• 1 small red pepper wich has been cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 200gm pack of raw peeled tiger prawns. They should be defrosted and patted dry
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 100gm bag baby spinach leaves

Method:

Heat a wok until you can feel a good heat rising. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and, a few seconds later, add the thin garlic slices. Not, stir-fry the contents until they start to turn golden, then (using a slotted spoon) go ahead and spoon onto a kitchen paper to drain.

Toss in the pepper and proceed to stir-frying for at least 1 minute or so until they soften. Scoop out and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Heat, then toss in the tiger prawns. Again, stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until cooked and beginning to brown. Now, add the soy or fish sauce, depending on what you prefer.

Throw in the spinach and stir-fry until it begins to wilt. Return the peppers and crisp garlic to the wok. Serve immediately.

1. Chicken and spinach salad

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Chicken breast, cut into disks on the diagonal, then sliced into sticks
• 1 red chili
• 100gm of spinach
• zest 1 lemon

Method:

Start by heating 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan. Fry the chicken over high heat until just tender. This should take about 4 minutes. Add the chili during the final minute. Take off the heat and toss the spinach until it is just wilted.

Add some lemon zest and season to taste. Put in a serving dish and pour a little bit of olive oil just before serving.

1. Spinach rolls

• Oil
• 100gm of spinach
• Chicken (500gm) cut in strips
• 6 bread slices
• Milk 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 eggs

Method:

Boil spinach until it becomes ‘liquidy.’ Add salt and pepper. Boil some chicken and mix it with the spinach. Soak bread slices in milk.

Fill the bread slice with spinach and chicken and make a roll. Cover with egg yolk and fry till golden brown.

Try these amazing spinach recipes to benefit from this amazing vegetable.