Garlicky Sautéed Sweet Potatoes & Spinach - 10 Minute Side Dish Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make sauteed spinach not bitter? ›

Heat can help break this acid down and eliminate some of the bitterness, but if any lingers, the best antidote, according to this article, is citrus. Squeeze a little lemon, lime, or orange juice and grate some zest in there if your spinach is tasting bitter.

The most versatile and sweetest variation of sweet potatoes is the Beauregard. Throughout the United States, you will see this species stacked high in the grocery stores during the holiday season. Beauregard's have a bit of a stringy texture, but they stay soft: this is what makes them so popular.

Baby spinach is so convenient and easy to cook whether eaten raw in salads, boiled in soups and stews, or simple sauteed with garlic and olive oil, as I did here. It's a healthy addition to any meal, baby spinach contains a high amount of nutrients such as iron, protein, and many others.

It will start to wilt down quite quickly, once it has wilted (about 1-2 mins) drain it through a colander and allow all the excess water to run out, pressing it with the back of a spoon or underside of a ladle will help force excess water out of the spinach through the colander.

Overcooking your spinach

Whether you're boiling, sautéing, or using any other method, the most important thing is to not overcook it. Overcooked spinach can take on a bitter burnt flavor and have an unpleasant mushy texture – not a good way to get people to eat their greens.

Sweet Potatoes and Health

Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are richest in beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes with purple flesh are richer in anthocyanins. Beta-carotene and anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant “phyto” chemicals that give vegetables their bright colors.

Which sweet potato is the sweetest? Sweetest is subjective but relatively speaking, Garnets and Hannahs are mildly sweet. Purple and Jewels are moderately sweet and the Japanese variety tend to be the sweetest.

Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family, while yams belong to the lily family. Yams aren't as sweet as sweet potatoes, and they are starchier and drier. Their texture and flavor are more similar to potatoes or yuca.

For most people it is perfectly OK to eat spinach every day. Keep reading for what can happen if you eat too much spinach or have specific health conditions such as kidney disease or are on blood thinners.

Spinach. The leafy green is packed with nutrients, but you'll absorb more calcium and iron if you eat it cooked. The reason: Spinach is loaded with oxalic acid, which blocks the absorption of iron and calcium but breaks down under high temperatures. What Do You Really Get When You Buy Organic?

What is the healthiest olive oil to cook with? ›

'Olive oil is a staple within the Mediterranean diet, a diet known for its positive effects on many aspects of health.' 'However, when you dig deeper, it's clear extra virgin olive oil is the healthiest choice as it's made from cold-pressed olives, which means it's less processed than regular olive oil.

BAD COMBO #2: Spinach and Dairy Products

If you're on a vegetarian diet or are a menopausal woman or just want to make sure you're absorbing calcium well, you'll want to avoid mixing dairy with oxalate-dense foods like spinach, beets, collards, leeks and parsley.

Yes, it is. Studies have found that eating cooked spinach and carrots - versus raw - results in much higher blood levels of beta-carotene, an antioxidant thought to guard against heart disease and lung cancer. ... And when it comes to certain minerals, you're better off eating your spinach cooked.

The nutritionist recommends lightly cooking the spinach. She mentions that lightly cooked spinach contains all the vital nutrients with limited oxalic acid.

Add enough salt (you can be generous with the salt) The more salt, the better. Pour in hot boiling water, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the leaves from the hot salty water and transfer them into cold water. This process blanches the leaves and removes the bitterness.

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

Blanch Them

Blanching your greens is key to getting that bitterness level down. Because glucosinolates are water-soluble compounds, a lot of them are leached out into the water, allowing for a less bitter green.

Blanching: Blanching bitter greens involves briefly boiling them in salted water and then quickly cooling them in ice water. This process can help reduce the bitterness and soften the texture. After blanching, you can incorporate the greens into your dish as desired.