. Everyone remembers the super vegetable of Saturday morning car- toons. Popeye, his gang of char- acters and, of course, his famous canned spinach. Locally grown, fresh and inviting spinach is in plentiful supply now. Originating in the Middle East, this leaf was brought to America by the Spanish explorers. Peaple there have been eating it for a long time. There are records of it being cultivated on the Iberian Peninsula more than a thousand years ago. The: B.C. crop of spinach totals 1.07 million pounds, and is grown on 134,000 acres. The total value, includ- ing farm and roadside sales, is mere than $700,000 per year. Looking at the nutriticnal benefits of spinach a little cioser, there are some surpris- es. Especially for Popeye. True, spinach is a rich source of vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, calcium, folate, and dietary fiber. But spinach also contains oxalic acid, which inhibits the body’s absorption of calcium and iron. The oxalic acid gives the spinach its uni. slightly bitter taste. The green leaf is still a good nutritional investment. Two hundred and fifty mil- ligrams of it, chopped and raw, contains only 13 calo- ries.. Purchase spinach that is fresh and bright looking, and dark green in color. Yellowish spots indicate that spinach has been around for awhile. Washing field spinach is of extreme impor- tance. Purchase your require- ment, uniie and place it into a large bowl with cold water. Soak and wash well at least three times. The soil around the stems may contain pathogenic bac- teria, which are potentially harmful. Drain the spinach, remove the stems, inspect and wash again. Drain and pat dry. It will keep in the refrigerator three days if cov- ered with a damp cloth. Local spinach is available June to September. It is even NORTH SHORE Spinach Souffle 14 oz. washed spinach with stems removed 3 large garlic cloves chopped 3 Tbsp. unsalted cultured butter 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour z 5 homogenized milk (4% % c. homemade chicken stock, or canned % c. grated parmesan cheese 3 large eggs room tempera- ture separated % tsp. nutmeg 1 Thsp. fresh lime juice sait and ground white pep- per to taste ; Blanch the spinach in a sauce pan three minutes. Drain, let cool. Chop very fine, Saute the garlic in the butter gently. Do not brown. Add the four to prepare a blond roux. Stir in the milk and the stock, whisk and simmer 1° minutes (to cook the flours. Cool. Prepare a souffle dish (five to six cup size). Brush with a little but- ter, preheat the oven to 350 F. Strain the sauce through a sieve, until smooth. Mix with the spinach __ add the parmesan cheese, the yolks of the separated eggs, and the lime juice. Check for salti- ness. Mix well. In a separate bowl beat the three egg, whites until stiff, and gently fold into the cool spinach mixture. Spoon into the souffle dish. Smooth the top. Place into the oven on the middle rack, and bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and a stainless stee) knife comes out clean from the middle. Serve right away. A won- derfill lunch dish for six peo- ple. For accompaniment pre- sent rosti potatoes and toast- ed french bread slices. Spinach Crown 14% Ib. spinach blanched and chopped very fine 8 oz. peeled long english eucumber chopped very ie 3 oz. green onions very finely chopped 3 oz, red bell peppers chopped very finc 1 tsp. fresh marjoram chopped very fine % tsp dijon style mustard ¥% oz. unflavored gelatin powder 15 oz. chicken stock, homemade or. canned 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste BE ast, Sy Sony PERSE $172.3 million is spent annually on food in rataurants Bun the North Shore, To reach this gourmet market, place your ads wher the read: ribip ts. STRAWBERRY - RHUBARB PIES 1 & get 1 free regular price $4.95 ea. Westlynn Bakery ad LYNN VALLEY RD., LYNN VALLEY CENTRE — 985-1622 fe. north shore news {i FOOD Spanish explorers originally b \ healthy choice: spinach is low in calories and rich in Vitamins A and C. Select a ring mould of one-quart size. Gently spray with a cooking spray. In a stainless steel bowl, mix together the spinach, cucum- ber, green onions, marjoram and the mustard. Mix well. Place mixture into the ring mould. In a saucepan, add the gelatin vinegar and the chick- en stock. Whisk, and heat just below the boiling point to dis- solve the gelatin. Cool until it’s at room temperature. Pour the gelatin mixture into the mould. Gendy mix. Place in the cooler covered until set, about six hours. Place rac bot- tom of the mould into very warm water, and turn cut the spinach crown onto a platter. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until service. Serve on lettuce leaves, garnished with wine- ripened B.C. tomatoes. In the center you may place any shellfish salad, cold B.B.Q salmon bits, or a tuna salad. Serves six people for lunch. A light summer dish. Correction Notice In our ad that ran on August 24th 1997 the following error occurred: The Acer 1181 Package advertised at $2,299. should have been $2,999.99. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers. Valid Aug. 28- Sept. 3/97 | Complete Mechanical. : Repairs & Service 83 Pamberton Ave. TALKING 985-7195 Marne | Toyota Quality Ina Minivan. The All New 1998 Toyota Sienna. Designed with the latest safety and convenience features for your active family. _Koming Septe ‘== Im Pattison Toyota 1765 Marine Dr., North Vancouver 965-0591 , ritious dish rought spinach to North America. Now it's locally grown and this is the time of year to get it — it’s in plentiful supply. 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