Popeye loves Spinach & Coconut Soup!
While Spinach is not as magical as Popeye would have you believe, it is still very good for you! It is rich in carotenoids which have antioxidant properties, as well as Vitamin A, K, folate and minerals- Magnesium and Manganese. And to get the full benefit of spinach, you should cook it as this makes the antioxidant carotenoids responsible for spinach’s nutritional potency, much easier for the body to absorb!
I too was wary of the idea of mixing together spinach and coconut. After all these two ingredients are not something one would commonly associate with each other. However after making this soup I was pleasantly surprised at how the two flavours complement each other so well. The cumin spices and white pepper also make it a very warming soup and perfect for drinking on those cold winter days!
Spinach and Coconut soup
Ingredients: 1 bunch of English Spinach (about 500g). 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 brown onion finely sliced, 2 garlic cloves finely chopped, ˝ tsp ground cumin, 2 cups vegetable stock (500mL), 100mL coconut milk/cream, sea salt, white pepper
Steps: Rinse the spinach under cold running water, drain and chop roughly. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, onion and cumin and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned.
Add the spinach, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, then toss the spinach so that it all cooks evenly. Once the spinach has sweated down to a dark green colour, take off the heat.
Tip! Even though when you first chop the spinach it looks like a lot of spinach, once it is cooked it shrinks significantly! So don’t underestimate the amount of spinach you need.
Put the spinach in the blender with half the stock and blend until smooth. Return the blended mixture to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the coconut milk and remaining stock and season with sea salt and ground pepper. Serve with a dash of cumin spice.
Serves 4
Tip! Do not be tempted to add too much coconut milk/cream, as it will overpower the spinach flavour.
Yes and while it does look a precarious green shade, it tastes a lot better than you could imagine!
