Some of you may know about one famous cartoon named Popeye that’s very popular long time ago. Ha-ha! Don’t be suspect! I talk about this character because he liked to eat spinach when he wanted power for competing. So I recommend you to eat spinach too with this dish, baked macaroni, cheese & spinach. For more perfect meal, you can serve with other dishes like baked chicken.


Photo: recipe.foohta.com

Popeye the Sailor Man has a strong affinity for spinach, becoming physically stronger after consuming it. This is partially due to the iron content being mistakenly reported ten times the actual value. In truth, spinach actually has about the same iron content as a lot of other vegetables and even less than others. Cooked broccoli and cauliflower, for example, have almost double the iron content of spinach.

Kitchenware
- Baking dish
- Pot
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Small bowl

Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 15 oz. low fat ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup egg substitute
- 1 3/4 cups skim milk
- 2 cups shredded low fat cheddar cheese
- 2 cups torn fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1−2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons brown mustard
- Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Then, spray a 9 X 13 or 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook macaroni by following the directions on the package. Simultaneously, blend ricotta cheese, egg substitute, milk, salt and pepper, Tabasco sauce and mustard.
3. Cook until smooth and drain macaroni. Return to pot and add shredded low fat cheddar cheese and spinach.
4. Stir until cheese melts and spinach withers. Stir in ricotta mixture and scrape into prepared baking dish.
5. Add Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and paprika in a small bowl and mix it. Scatter equally over macaroni and cheese.
6. Bake with 375-F heat for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Photo: softpedia.com

Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular-based, very variable in size from about 2-30 cm long and 1-15 cm broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem.

Spinach also has a high calcium content. However, the oxalate content in spinach also binds with calcium decreasing its absorption. Calcium and zinc also limit iron absorption. The calcium in spinach is the least bioavailable of calcium sources. By way of comparison, the body can absorb about half of the calcium present in broccoli, yet only around 5% of the calcium in spinach.