I Googled: “Is Spinach a good source of iron?” and came away with some interesting information on combining my organic spinach with my pixie tangerines. I also Googled Pixie Tangerines. Below the recipe is a summary you might find interesting from  www.Health.Castle.com for the spinach and http://www.specialtyproduce.com for the pixies.

Utensils: Cutting board, knife, mixing bowl, serving bowl
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: none
Category: Vegan, Gluten Free

Ingredients

2 cups tightly packed organic spinach, washed well
2 pixie tangerines, peeled, separated into slices, membrane threads removed
Dressing:
1  1/2-2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely
2 Tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)*
1/4 cup Olive oil
Sea Salt & fresh pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rip well washed spinach into small pieces and place in a bowl.
2. Cut each slice or wedge of pixies in half crosswise.
3. Whisk together dressing ingredients.
4. Toss spinach with 1/2 to 3/4 of the dressing, place in a serving bowl, and serve immediately. (If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate the spinach and toss right before serving.)

Variation: Add any of the complementary veggies listed below in the NOTES and/or slivered almonds for crunch.

*Substitute lemon juice for lime juice if no limes available.

Notes on Pixies & Spinach

The pixies I purchased were in a box like this from Ojai, California. A long schlepp, I admit, from an environmental viewpoint, but I bought them to try for a recipe, so I feel a little less guilty.

“Pixie Tangerine season begins in March and may possibly stretch into June. Rumor has it several new seedless mandarin varieties are currently being developed and will be available in the marketplace during the next decade.
A seedless fruit, the Pixie tangerine is yellow-orange, easily peeled and offers a sweetly mild taste. Big or small, smooth or knobby, this juicy tangerine varies greatly in appearance, size and shape. One trait is for sure: their exceptionally sweet flavor is consistent.

Tangerines, as well as other citrus fruits, offer a source of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber. Ideal for low-acid diets, Pixie tangerines have a lower acid content than many citrus varieties. One medium tangerine or mandarin contains about 50 calories.

Add this tasty little tangerine to wake up mixed green salads. Sections make perfect edible garnish for most anything. Add to gelatin molds. Ideal for a healthy portable snack. To store, keep at room temperature or refrigerate for longer storage. Do not store in plastic to prevent premature spoiling. Pixie tangerines are good keepers.

Somewhat difficult to grow, the trees take several years to reach maturity, producing an abundant crop every other year. Requiring frost-free conditions, Pixies love mild winters, hot summers and plenty of sunshine.  Produced in small quantities at Ojai, California, this variety is mainly grown on small family farms. Specializing in exceptional fruits, organic Pixie tangerines are also locally grown at Fallbrook, California, by Helene and Robert Beck at Beck Grove.”

From www.Health.Castle.com I gleaned this information about Spinach: Spinach is a good source of non-heme iron , which is not bio-available to the body. Also, the oxalic acid in spinach binds with the iron in spinach and inhibits its absorption. Fortunately, you can couple spinach with “absorption enhancers,” one of which is Vitamin-C rich foods, such as oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries.  Since Pixie Tangerines are part of the citrus family, they qualify.  So I added some Pixies to my spinach, and voila! a salad that is good for you as well as tasty. Also, using lime (or lemon) juice in the dressing adds more citrus fruit to the mix.

P.S. Other vegetarian enhancers include: broccoli, Brussel sprouts, tomato, tomato juice, potato, and green & red peppers, so feel free to make use of these veggies for a tossed salad with more items. Also, white wine is an iron absorption enhancer, so feel free to serve the salad and main dish with white wine. You can claim it’s for medicinal purposes!

Finally, the recommended iron intake for men and post menopausal women is 8 mg.; for pre-menopausal women it is 18 mg., and for pregnant women, the amount recommended is 27 mg. Since one cup of spinach contains only one mg. of iron, you have to eat a lot to reap the iron benefits. (Also from healthcastle.com)

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 10th, 2010 at 10:12 am and is filed under Kitchen Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.