Vegetarian Spinach And Rice Soup
Simple Yet Flavorful Main Course For The Meatless Diet
Dec 29, 2008
Spinach is rich in vitamins and nutrients essential to any diet but especially beneficial for the meatless eater. The recipe can be altered to fit the specific dietary needs of those with food allergies and sensitivities.
Spinach and Rice Soup Recipe
- One 10-ounce box organic, frozen, chopped spinach
- 1 cup Basmati rice (or other aromatic and flavorful rice)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 can diced or crushed tomatoes (Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes are especially delicious used here)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 8 cups filtered water
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 6 ounces plain yogurt or sour cream (about 3/4 cup)
Directions:
- Sautee the onion in the vegetable broth over high heat in a stockpot until caramelized or golden brown.
- Add the filtered water and rice and bring mixture to a boil.
- Cook for ten minutes before adding the frozen spinach and canned tomatoes.
- Turn heat down to medium, medium-low, and add garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, approximately thirty minutes.
- Bring heat to lowest setting and whisk in the plain yogurt or sour cream.
- Remove from heat and let stand ten minutes before serving.
The soup goes well with whole wheat or rye bread. For a salt less variation add half a cup of dulse or sea kelp with the rice and water and omit the salt.
Benefits of Spinach
According to the George Mateljan Foundation’s The World’s Healthiest Foods spinach provides more nutrients, calorie for calorie, than any other food. Highest in vitamins K and A, a cup of boiled spinach (180.00 grams) provides almost a full daily value of manganese and over 65% of folate. Spinach is also a good source for magnesium and iron.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health branch for National Heart Lung and Blood Institute cites spinach as a “nonmeat foods that are good sources of iron.” Also, in the article Do Vitamin Mineral Supplements such as Potassium, Calcium or Magnesium Help Lower Blood Pressure? spinach is listed as a food high in potassium, calcium and magnesium, to help lower blood pressure.
Cooking with Sea Vegetables
Kelp is a form of algae or seaweed found in the ocean. Two tablespoons of kelp adds 23 mg of sodium compared to one teaspoon of salt containing 2, 325 mg of sodium. For those on a sodium restricted diet a nutritionist or doctor can recommend ways to reduce sodium intake without compromising on taste.
References:
- The World’s Healthiest Foods: Spinach, accessed online December 2008.
- How is Anemia Treated?, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, accessed online December 2008.
- Do Vitamin Mineral Supplements such as Potassium, Calcium or Magnesium Help Lower Blood Pressure?, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, accessed online December 2008.
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, accessed online December 2008.
- Sodium: Are you getting too much?, MayoClinic.com, accessed online December 2008.
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