This way of preparing Spinach has the best flavor because it helps remove some of the acids found in Spinach and brings out its sweetness. Make sure the water is at a rapid boil before adding Spinach. Taken from page 417 of the 2nd Edition of the World's Healthiest Foods book.

Prep and Cook Time: 1 minute Ingredients: 1 pound fresh spinach Mediterranaean Dressing 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp lemon juice 1 medium fresh garlic, pressed or finely chopped salt and cracked black pepper to taste Optional: chopped tomato kalamatta olives cashews goat cheese a few drops soy sauce

Directions:

1. Fill a 3 quart pot three-quarter full with water and

   bring to a boil.

2. While water is coming to a boil, press or chop garlic and let it sit for at least 5 minutes.
3. Wash Spinach as directed in The Best Way to Prepare

   Spinach.

4. When water is at full boil, place Spinach into the pot, being extremely careful to avoid burning yourself. Do not cover. Cooking uncovered helps the acids escape into the air. Cook Spinach for 1 minute; begin timing when water starts boiling again.
5. After 1 minute, drain the Spinach in a colander in the sink. Press out excess liquid with fork to prevent diluting the flavor of your dressing. You want the Spinach to be tender, brightly colored, and not mushy when it's done.
6. Transfer to a bowl and toss Spinach with the remaining ingredients while it is still hot. (Mediterranean Dressing does not need to be made separately.) Research shows that fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids found in foods, such as Spinach, may be better absorbed when consumed with fat-containing foods like extra virgin olive oil. Dressing helps tenderize Spinach. After 5-10 minutes it will become more tender.
7. Important: For best flavor, use a knife and fork to cut the cooked Spinach crosswise several times until it is in very small pieces. The more finely you

   cut Spinach the more exposed surface area you create. This can allow more flavors of the dressing to pass into the Spinach and speed up desirable changes in texture including tenderness.

Serves 2

Nutritional Profile

Introduction to Recipe Rating System Chart

In order to better help you identify recipes that feature a high concentration of nutrients for the calories they contain, we created a Recipe Rating System. This system allows us to highlight the recipes that are especially rich in particular nutrients. The following chart shows the nutrients for which 1-Minute "Quick Boiled" Spinach is either an excellent, very good, or good source (below the chart you will find a table that explains these qualifications). If a nutrient is not listed in the chart, it does not necessarily mean that the recipe doesn't contain it. It simply means that the nutrient is not provided in a sufficient amount or concentration to meet our rating criteria. (To view this recipe's in-depth nutritional profile that includes values for dozens of nutrients - not just the ones rated as excellent, very good, or good - please use the link below the chart.) To read this chart accurately, you'll need to glance back up to see the ingredients used in the recipe and the number of serving sizes provided by the recipe. Our nutrient ratings are based on a single serving. For example, if a recipe makes 4 servings, you would be receiving the nutrient amounts listed in the chart by eating 1/4th of the combined ingredients found in the recipe. Now, returning to the chart itself, you can look next to the nutrient name in order to find the nutrient amount it offers, the percent Daily Value (DV%) that this amount represents, the nutrient density that we calculated for this recipe and nutrient, and the rating we established in our rating system. For most of our nutrient ratings, we adopted the government standards for food labeling that are found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling." Read more background information and details of our rating system.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for 1-Minute "Quick Boiled" Spinach