If this doesn't make you into a broccoli lover, nothing will
OK, broccoli has not always enjoyed a good reputation.
Kids, in cartoons and on TV, often scrunch up their faces and make horrid noises when they are presented with a plate of the little green "trees". President George H.W. Bush publicly declared his distaste for broccoli in 1990. "I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!'' he said.
But, really, broccoli isn't bad. It might be a little bland if you just boil it in water and plop it on your plate. But add just a little flavor and the broccoli perks up and is pretty tasty.
Broccoli is the flower of a plant that is in the cabbage family. The leaves and the stalks are also edible.
Broccoli is high in vitamin C, as well as dietary fiber; it also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and small amounts of selenium. The more you cook the broccoli, the less potent the cancer fighting properties.
A single serving provides more than 30 mg of vitamin C and a half-cup provides 52 mg of vitamin C.
Wow.
If you want to - as Emeril says - kick it up a notch, I have a broccoli recipe that would turn anyone into a broccoli lover.
Spicy Broccoli and Peppers
1 pound of broccoli, cut into small pieces (use floretes, leaves and stems)1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips8 large garlic cloves, sliced1 onion, halved and sliced2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Put the chili oil in a deep fry pan and heat until it's hot, but not smoking.
- Drop in the brocoli, pepper. garlic and onion
- Stir frequently.
- Add the soy sauce after the onions have started to turn golden brown.
- This should take less than 5 minutes from the time you drop the veggies until you're ready to put it on your plate.
Vegan, glutten free
