By JANET K. KEELER

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 2, 2001

A weekly serving of food news and views

eat your veggies

spotlight on plant food

spinach

eating: Vitamin-rich spinach is often called a super vegetable. A cup and a half of Popeye's favorite food has no fat, 5 grams of fiber, 10 grams of carbohydrates, loads of iron, vitamins A and C, plus 2 grams of protein. Spinach can be eaten cooked or raw, plain or fancy. It's the star of salads and pasta, rice and side dishes.

buying: Three kinds of spinach are readily available: curly-leaf, flat-leaf and baby. Flat-leaf can be eaten raw or cooked but raw curly leaf is bitter. Flat-leaf baby spinach is best for salads. Look for dark green, shiny leaves, not yellow or slimy. Buy spinach already cleaned in sealed bags or in bunches. (You should rinse bagged spinach at least once; see below.) Once the leaves are exposed to air, they deteriorate quickly; use as soon as possible.

preparing: Spinach must be washed thoroughly to remove grit. Fill a large bowl with cold water and submerge spinach, swishing around gently. Lift spinach from water; dirt and sand will settle to bottom. Dump water and repeat as necessary. For most recipes, remove tough stems.

cooking: Spinach is often overcooked in a nutrient-sapping pot of boiling water; generous helpings of salt and butter help taste, not diet. Retain more benefits by sauteing in olive oil until leaves are wilted in less than five minutes, or eat raw. Frozen spinach is perfect for pasta fillings, dips, casseroles, omelets and quiches. Thaw first, then thoroughly squeeze out water.

quick fix: Nutritious soup for one. Add 1 cup torn spinach leaves, 2 teaspoons or 2 cubes of low-sodium chicken or veggie bouillon, three sliced mushrooms, 2 shakes of ground ginger and 1 cup cooked rice, preferably brown, to 2 cups boiling water. Cook until spinach has wilted, about 4 minutes.

this web site cooks

www.mexgrocer.com

Cinco de Mayo menu ideas are in abundance on this site. The authentic Mexican recipes are thorough and easy to follow. Surely you can find a crowd of friends who will want to try Hot Carnitas Salad or Snapper a la Veracruzana.

If you are stumped for ingredients, buy them online here. Also, read articles on Mexcian culture and travel.

constant comment

"With summer and bathing suit season fast approaching, consumers are sure to be busier and more health conscious than ever when deciding what to eat." From a press release for Gorton's new frozen grilled fish fillets

cooking class

While you're spring cleaning, don't forget the pantry. Canned foods that have been there for more than two years should be junked. If you are a canned-food hoarder, start dating them when you buy them. Then you'll know which to use first and when to toss out the old.

spy kicks

The recipe Web site www.epicurious.com has this fun feature by which you can see the last 10 words typed into its recipe search engine. The list automatically updates every 15 seconds. Recently, Web-savvy cooks were looking for information on pizza dough, mince curry, veal medallions, gnocchi, porcini, caviar, tofu, peas, butternut squash and barley.

say it with cookies

How about a bouquet of cookies for Mom this Mother's Day, May 13? Cookies by Design, which has outlets in Tampa and Largo, offers arrangements featuring such items as cookie tulips, iced hearts and bird houses. The "Bloomin' Terrific Mom" arrangement includes watering can, gloves and seed packet-decorated cookies. Prices range from a single cookie on a stick for $6 up to a 12-cookie bouquet for $72. A seven-cookie arrangement is $42. Check them out online at www.cookiesbydesign.com or visit the outlets at 11740 N Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, (813) 269-4403, and 12915 Walsingham Road in Largo, (727) 517-8550.

another pizza twist

Pizza Hut has unveiled its latest innovation -- the Twisted Crust pizza -- that boasts a seasoned bread-stick crust surrounding a hot pizza. The breadstick crust pulls off and can be dipped in marinara sauce or ranch dressing. The Twisted Crust is $10.99 for a large one-topping pizza.

slick ideas

Want to make olive oil work for you on something other than salads? Here are some ideas:

• Fill a spray-pump bottle with light olive oil instead of buying cooking sprays.
• When broiling meat, fish or poultry, brush them with light olive oil to seal in juices.
• Dip crusty bread into a small bowl of extra virgin olive oil instead of using butter or margarine.

Compiled by Janet K. Keeler, from staff and wire reports

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