Blanching is a good way to gently cook vegetables. Blanching makes the veggies crispy yet not raw. Below is the step by step photo on how to blanch your vegetables. Since I posted the meatballs with spinach, I thought I have to post this how to blanch veggies to guide you. This process is applicable to any vegetables you want to blanch - not just spinach. Check the Ugly Duckling Meatballs.
How to Blanch Vegetables Step 1 :Wash and Clean Vegetable - remove the unwanted stems
How to Blanch Vegetables Step 2 : Boil an ample amount of water
How to Blanch Vegetables Step 3 : Prepare a bowl with water and ice
How to Blanch Vegetables Step 4 : Place the cleaned vegetable in a strainer and dip for 5 or more minutes in the boiling water. This depends on how soft or crunchy you want your veggies. For the leaves, I dip it for 2 minutes for caulifflower or broccoli, about 6-7 minutes
How to Blanch Vegetables Step 4 : After boiling the veggies, transfer them to the iced water and drain.
How to Blanch Vegetables Step 5 : Here is the blanched spinach for the Ugly Duckling Meatballs
Love this tip! hopefully it would help others as well.