Spinach:

So here’s the thing about spinach: I’ve spent my entire life thinking it grew out of the ground looking and smelling like seaweed.  Why on earth would anyone eat long, stringy, smelly things from a can?  Was Popeye drunk when he ate that stuff?  Actually, now that I’m reflecting on this topic, I think as a child I did believe that Popeye was an alcoholic and spinach was so nasty, it sobered him up so he could commit acts of violence.  Wow.  I think I’m officially done worrying that The Black Eye Peas are going to rot my kids’ brains.

But I digress.  Several years ago, I found a recipe for linguine, bacon, sage, and baby spinach.  I got brave and actually bought a bag of baby spinach.  IT’S A LEAF!  Did you know that?!  A LITTLE HARMLESS LEAF!  From that moment on, I craved fresh spinach.  I prefer it wilted in a pan, which takes all of 1 minute.  Spinach adds a lovely texture in a sauce, but doesn’t lose it’s flavor when heated.

The recipe I linked to above is how I generally use it: just throw it in the pan at the end of cooking and heat for no more than a minute.  I throw it in spaghetti sauce all the time.  It pairs well with tomatoes (think: pizza topping).  I make spaghetti sauce without meat and just add spinach.

For fresh spinach salads, I’m pretty old school: I prefer a light vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes, and some goat cheese (or any crumbly cheese).  It’s filling, refreshing, and almost too flavorful.  I’m always surprised at how filling spinach can be.

So if you’ve spent your life thinking spinach comes from another planet, which is why it must be transported in those frozen bags of dark green clumps, try something new.  Try spinach, the REAL kind.  And never give up.  Kids have to see a food approximately 5x before they’ll eat it.