Broccoli: Food of the Week

Broccoli: Food of the Week

<

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 large broccoli crowns, chopped
  • 1/2 red/orange/yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
  • Salt and pepper (optional)

Directions

  1. Wash broccoli. Cut up broccoli into small florets.
  2. Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl.
  3. Let marinate 15 minutes, mixing periodically.
  4. Serve and enjoy.

Butternut Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 broccoli crown
  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 1/2 red pepper
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 52 oz vegetable broth
  • 1 pound potatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon Thrive Market coconut oil

Directions

  1. Chop the squash at the bulb.
  2. Scoop out the seeds and innards and discard them.
  3. Peel and dice squash, then put to one side.
  4. Chop the onion, celery and pepper.
  5. Put onion, celery, and pepper in a pan with hot olive oil and cook them down to a soft texture.
  6. Add the squash, broccoli and asparagus (both of which have also been chopped into smaller pieces) into the pot.
  7. Cover with vegetable stock. Home made vegetable stock is better, but store-bought will suffice.
  8. Chop potatoes into smaller pieces. Quarters will be fine. Aim for "bitesize" pieces. Boil them in separate pot.
  9. When they are ready (about 10 minutes), drain and put to one side, they will be used later.
  10. Boil until all vegetables in broth until they are cooked as desired.
  11. Scoop the vegetables from broth into a blender and blend until pulpy/liquid.
  12. Add stock from the pan to help blend. If the soup is not thick enough for you, add some potatoes into the blender and blend with the veg until you have the desired viscosity. If the soup is too thick, add more of the vegetable stock that they were cooking in.
  13. You may need to scoop and blend 3 or more times, depending on the size of the blender.
  14. Pour the soup into another large pot after blending.
  15. Add a tablespoon of turmeric, tablespoon of coconut oil and half a tablespoon of chili powder.
  16. Add the potatoes that remain.
  17. Simmer and stir on low heat for another 10 minutes.
  18. Serve.

Broccoli Egg Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 broccoli crown, chopped
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
  • 3-5 mushrooms, chopped
  • 1-2 tbs coconut oil

Gear

  • 6-12 cup muffin pan

Directions

  1. Scramble eggs in bowl.
  2. Chop up vegetables.
  3. Oil bottom of muffin tray well (vegetable/olive/coconut oil are fine choices).
  4. Pour eggs into muffin tray - fill only halfway. This mix will expand, and you'll want room for vegetables.
  5. Drop in vegetables. Don't overfill muffin tins.
  6. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Steamed Broccoli

Ingredients

  • 2 broccoli crowns
  • 1-2 TBS olive oil.

Directions

  1. Wash broccoli.
  2. Break broccoli crowns into medium-small sized florets.
  3. Bring water to a simmer in pot with steamer* already inside.
  4. Place florets on steamer.
  5. Steam for 2-4 minutes.
  6. Use fork to check for desired tenderness within stalks.
  7. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Garlic Coconut Broccoli

Ingredients

  • 1 large head broccoli
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • Pinch of sea salt to taste

Directions

  1. Fill large pot with an inch of water, and bring to boil.
  2. Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces, and add to pot of boiling water. Cover and turn heat down to medium.
  3. Meanwhile, mince garlic.
  4. Check on broccoli after 10 minutes of cooking. Cook until you can spike your fork through broccoli with ease.
  5. Strain water from pot and add coconut oil, garlic, and salt.
  6. Mix thoroughly and serve!

Broccoli Juice

Ingredients

  • 1 small broccoli crown
  • 3 leaves kale
  • 1 apple
  • 1 carrot
  • 1/2 cucumber

Directions

  1. Rinse all vegetables
  2. Core apple
  3. Juice
  4. Enjoy

Broccoli Nutrition

“Eat your broccoli.”

If these words bring back childhood memories, you’re not alone. Mom and Dad had good reasons to encourage eating up this member of the cabbage family.

Eaten raw, steamed, roasted, or sautéed, broccoli is a versatile vegetable with multiple health benefits such as:

  • Immune strength, skin and bone strength, and vision support from its Vitamin A antioxidant.
  • Wound healing, and collagen formation from Vitamin C and Vitamin E.
  • Strong bones and blood clotting from Vitamin K.
  • Bone and Teeth formation, muscle contractions, and nervous system function due to the mineral of calcium
  • Insulin function and metabolism of the foods you eat from chromium.
  • Regulation of blood pressure and blood sugar from magnesium.
  • Protein metabolism from folic acid
  • Conversion of food into energy with pantothenic acid.
  • The fiber in broccoli will help keep you full while also maintaining a healthy bowel while the phytonutrients in plants help protect against cancer. So the next time you’re in the produce section, remember, “Eat your broccoli”!