Red Spinach - Super Food

In Nigeria, we are all aware of the amaranth greens, locally called tete. Green tete is the most common one, found/sold  in every vegetable market and loosely referred to as greens or spinach. Read more about Amaranth Greens here.

The other day, I went to get some fresh seafood at the Under-bridge Fish Market, just off Ozumba Mbadiwe road in Victoria Island Lagos, and I was delighted to see red spinach on display.

But before actually seeing and cooking with them, I had read a lot about them online in the past. I discovered that they are one of the super foods coming out of Africa!

So finally, I was able to purchase some and experiment with them. I blanched them and cooked them just like the more familiar green variety and I was really pleased with eating them. They tasted just the same, that you could not tell the different in taste and flavour, other than, the red variety was a tad more earthy.

So why Red Spinach.....?

My first response is why not...? They are available and they offer one more option for those who look for variety in their diet.

More importantly, in addition to all the nutrients and goodness offered by green amaranths, the red variety brings a lot more to the table, literally. The red intense color indicates its high content of Vitamin A and also anthocyanins which are very important nutrients that work against free radicals in the body.

Different uses:

• The young tender shoots of the red spinach are great in salads for their earthy taste and flavour as well a the beautifly color thye add
• They also make excellent garnishes, again providing some really pretty color and appeal to food
• As expeceted, they are great in soups and stews to accompany other dishes
• They are great for making side vegetable dishes.
• They can be cooked along with fish or meat

Why you should eat more Red Spinach

• They are more nutritious than the common green variety; and have incredibly high levels of vitamin A, Calcium, iron and fibre
• They will add variety to your diet
• They are believed to possess a lot of medicinal properties ranging from aiding digestion to relieving constipation, and can be used to combat anemia.
• On a more superficial front, red spinach is believed to help strengthen hair, great for skin and also thought to help with weight loss.

Nigerian Home Made Meatballs

Sincerely, its worth making meatballs at home, for so many reasons. Foremost, making your meatballs gives you all the power to do or add whatever you fancy. You know precisely what has gone into it and you are assured of what you are eating.....quite frankly, you do not want to begin to investigate into what actually makes up commercially produced meatballs.....

Anyway, I was left with no choice but to make some meatballs at home, because I could not readily find any at all, in the local supermarkets,,, and in the one place I found some, I was not keen at all to put it in my mouth. So what's a girl to do. I had to make some.

Making meatballs is one of the simplest things to do, especially if you have the right equipment. The best thing to use is a grinder, but if you do not have access to a grinder, then a good food processor will suffice.

So very easy, all you have to do is purchase some nice cut beef with no fat or tendons. You would also need some seasoning to help enhance tastes and flavours fully in the meat.

Verdict
First: the texture and juiciness of the home made meatballs make them so special. They ooze so much flavour, its incredible. I think this can be attributed to the fact that the cows from which the beef is sourced is pretty much organic, are grazed on natural vegetation and are allowed to follow their herder in search for this vegetation.

I believe all these factors contribute to the incredibly firm texture of the meat they produce....am saying this because Nigerians are known to favor this quality in their beef, as against what is found in the UK.

Second: One important thing I found about ground beef is the fact that it cooks in a very short time, and I feel that has got to have some impact on its overall nutritional benefits.

See below the steps required in making meatballs at home.

1. First purchase some lean beef ensuring you remove all traces of fat, muscles or tendons.

2. Then cut into large chunks that will fit into your meat grinder or food processor

3. Set the grinder/food processor to a low setting and mince the meat until fully grounded.

4. Transfer the minced meat into a large bowl and add salt, seasoning and spice as you prefer. Add one egg (depending on the quantity you have) and mix into the meat. This will help to bind the meatballs and prevent them from falling apart when cooking. Don't worry, the taste of the egg would not interfere with the meat flavours.

5. Take small quantities at a time to roll into balls.

6. This can also be made into patties or burgers.