Broccoli!
Compiled by Jean Cole
HTF Edito
Compiled by Jean Cole
HTF Edito
My friend Tammy Spelts Berglund of Virginia got me thinking about broccoli last week. It’s her favorite vegetable and she asked her Facebook friends for their favorite ways to prepare it. Tammy is famous as the Range’s unofficial “Biggest Loser” – having dropped an amazing number of pounds and inches through dedicated exercise, careful food choices, and support from her many friends and family. Kudos to Tammy (who still relishes cooking and eating great-tasting food)!
Tammy’s friends said roasting in the oven or cooking on the grill (tossed with extra virgin olive oil and whatever seasoning you like) were fabulous ways to prepare broccoli. One friend declared that broccoli slaw was better than the traditional cabbage slaw.
Broccoli is high in vitamin C, protein (surprise!), and fiber. It’s great-tasting, and great for you. So, today it’s about broccoli, including a couple recipes from my favorite food blogger, Elise Bauer of simplyrecipes.com. Enjoy!
Roasted Broccoli
The cook is: Julie Moen Berg
• Broccoli
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
Chop broccoli into florets, toss with crushed garlic, olive oil and sea salt. Roast on baking sheet 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Superb! Brussels sprouts are awesome this way as well!
Broccoli Salad
The cook is: Mary Ann Grams Wycoff, Embarrass, MN
Editor’s note: Mary Ann didn’t have measurements for this recipe. She said, “Use
your own judgment!” – Jean Cole
• Broccoli
• Red onion, chopped
• Sunflower seeds
• Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Dressing (Miracle Whip, sugar, vinegar,
milk)
Cut broccoli in bite-size pieces. Add chopped red onion, sunflower seeds, and crumbled bacon. Toss with a dressing of Miracle Whip, a couple tablespoons of sugar, a splash of vinegar to taste, and a little milk to thin. Yummy!
Cream of Broccoli Soup
The cook is: Tammy Spelts Berglund, Virginia, MN
This is a Virginia Community Education recipe from years ago.
• 1/2 c. onion, chopped
• 2 bunches broccoli
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 - 8 oz. cream cheese
Sauté onion in butter. Add chicken broth. Add broccoli. Cook covered until broccoli is crispy tender. Cut cream cheese into small cubes and add to mixture. Stir until cheese is melted. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. This soup may be pureed in blender, if desired. Serves 8.
Broccoli and Beef
The cook is: Elise Bauer, simplyrecipes.com
• 3/4 lb. flank or sirloin, sliced thinly across
the grain
• 3/4 lb. broccoli florets
• 2 Tbsp. high-heat cooking oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or smushed
through garlic smusher
• 1 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbsp.
water
For the beef marinade:
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
• 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 tsp. Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. chicken broth
Marinate the beef: Stir together the beef marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the beef slices and stir until coated. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Prepare the sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Blanch the broccoli: Cook the broccoli in a small pot of boiling, salted water until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and instantly evaporates upon contact. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the beef and immediately spread the beef out all over the surface of the wok or pan in a single layer (preferably not touching). Let the beef fry undisturbed for 1 minute. Flip the beef slices over, add the garlic to the pan and fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until no longer pink. Pour in the sauce, add the blanched broccoli and bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, 30 seconds.
Broccoli, Chicken, and Almond Sauté
The cook is: Elise Bauer, simplyrecipes.com
Editor’s note: Elise says this recipe is also delicious without the chicken, which she considers optional. – Jean Cole
• 1/2 to 3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken
breasts
• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• Your favorite spice rub for grilling
(optional)
• 1 lb. broccoli florets
• 1/4 tsp. chile flakes (more to taste)
• 1/3 to 1/2 c. toasted almonds, roughly
chopped
• 1 tsp. dark sesame oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
Puta2quartpotofsaltedwater(about1 Tbsp. of salt) on to boil. While the water is heating, start the chicken cooking in the next step.
Place the chicken breasts in a bowl and sprinkle seasoning on all sides. Use at a minimum some salt. Or if you have a favorite spice rub, you can use that too. Heat a grill pan, or prepare a grill, for high, direct heat. (If you don’t have a grill pan or grill, use a cast iron skillet, and only season the chicken with salt.)
Rub some olive oil all over the chicken
breasts. Grill the breasts for a few minutes on each side to get some nice char marks, then lower the temperature to low and leave on the grill until the breasts are just almost cooked through. They’ll cook a little longer in the sauté pan, so they can still be a little pink in the middle at this point. Remove from pan or grill, set aside for a minute, then thinly slice.
Once the chicken has cooked and the water is boiling, add the broccoli florets to the salted boiling water. Allow the water to come back to a boil, and once boiling again, let cook for about 1 minute. Drain.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan on high heat. Add the red chili flakes. Once the red chili flakes are sizzling, add the broccoli florets, sliced grilled chicken, and toasted almonds. Drizzle dark sesame oil over the broccoli and chicken, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss and cook until all of the chicken pieces are no longer at all pink in the center, a minute or two.
Serve immediately. Serves 4.
About broccoli
Broccoli is high in vitamin C and dietary fiber; it also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and small amounts of selenium. A single serving provides more than 30 mg of vitamin C and a halfcup provides 52 mg of vitamin C. The 3,3’-Diindolylmethane found in broccoli is a potent modulator of the innate immune response system with anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-cancer activity. Broccoli also contains the compound glucoraphanin, which can be processed into an anticancer compound sulforaphane, though the benefits of broccoli are greatly reduced if the vegetable is boiled. Broccoli is also an excellent source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.
Boiling broccoli reduces the levels of suspected anti-carcinogenic compounds, such as sulforaphane, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 77% after thirty minutes. However, other preparation methods such as steaming,[16] microwaving, and stir frying had no significant effect on the compounds.
Broccoli has the highest levels of carotenoids in the brassica family. It is particularly rich in lutein and also provides a modest amount of beta-carotene.