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Thursday 28 January 2016

Broccoli Facts and Recipe Ideas



Did you know that Broccoli contains almost 5 times as much vitamin C, 8 times as much Calcium,
and almost 2.5 times as much Fibre as Potato


Broccoli:
Pronounce it: brok-o-lee

Like cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli is a brassica and is sometimes known by its Italian name, calebrese. It has tight clusters of deep green buds and thick, edible stems and was developed from the more loosely packed purple sprouting broccoli. There's little to choose between the two in terms of flavour or nutrition.


Availability:
All year round, but at its best from the end of July to the end of October.

Choose the best:
Go for firm, bright green, undamaged heads (if it's yellow its already past its peak) and firm stalks. As broccoli deteriorates faster when in contact with the air, supermarkets often wrap it in cellophane - always choose the unwrapped type if you can as, if it still looks good, you can be sure that it has been recently picked.

Prepare it:
Trim any woody stem ends or tough leaves with a knife. Divide into small, individual florets, each with a short stem, and diagonally slice the thicker stems. Rinse under cold water. Broccoli boils or steams in 3-6 minutes, depending on the size of floret. In stir-fries, cook it for a couple of minutes, until tender.

Store it:
In an airtight bag in the fridge.

Cook it:
Cook and drizzle with olive oil or melted butter or a handful of grated parmesan; add to a cheesy pasta bake; stir-fry in groundnut oil with chopped garlic and dry fried cashews, adding a drizzle of sesame oil to the pan just before cooking ends.

Alternatives:
Try purple sprouting broccoli or cauliflower.

Some words above from here

Here are two recipes that use broccoli you may wish to try


Chicken Fillets with Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms, Broccoli, Green Beans and Peas

Ingredients
serves two

350g chicken fillet roughly cut into cubes
little olive oil for use in frying pan
salt, pepper and mixed herbs to taste
4 chestnut mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese
selection of green vegetables - broccoli, green beans, peas
chicken stock

See method here



Broccoli and Smoked Salmon Omelette

Ingredients
Serves One
tbsp olive oil
100g Tenderstem® Broccoli, each piece cut into 3
Half a small red onion, finely sliced
3 large free-range eggs
Knob of butter
2 tbsp cream cheese
1 tbsp chopped chives
Salt and pepper
50g smoked salmon, cut into strips

See method here

Hope you may enjoy some broccoli soon !

All the best Jan

20 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello, Broccoli is one of my favorite veggies. These meals both look delicious. Thanks for sharing, have a happy day!

Jennifer said...

Your blog is always great for recipe ideas Jan. I copied out a few from this and previous posts. Thanks for the inspiration!

Jo said...

Broccoli is a regular on our menu. That chicken dinner looks delicious, I like the idea of the stuffed mushrooms with it.

Anonymous said...

Broccoli is a firm favourite with all of us and especially with chicken.

Thanks

Jane:)

Martha said...

I didn't like broccoli until I was a little older and now it's a regular addition in many meals. And these recipes are wonderful!

Lowcarb team member said...

Eileen - many thanks for your comment.
Pleased you liked the look of the meals ... and yes, isn't broccoli a great vegetable!

All the best Jan

Lowcarb team member said...

Jennifer - thank you for your kind comment.
Hope you enjoy all the recipes ... I wonder which one you'll try first!

All the best Jan

Lowcarb team member said...

Jo - many thanks for your comment.
We will be enjoying some pork tonight with stuffed mushrooms and broccoli. Broccoli always appears on my shopping list!

All the best Jan

Lowcarb team member said...

Jane - thank you for your comment.
Glad to hear all your family like broccoli. I wonder if it has been on your dinner table today!

All the best Jan

Lowcarb team member said...

Martha - many thanks for your comment.
Yes, tastes do alter through the years, I hope you may enjoy one of these recipe suggestions soon!

All the best Jan

Snowbird said...

I could eat broccoli until the cows come home, it's just so darn tasty. I'm a huge fan of asparagus too.xxx

Gail said...

I love broccoli anyway you fix it and raw, too.

In some places they eat crickets, Jan! I don't think I could do that...maybe once. They might be good so I'll not pass judgement.

Thank you for your kind comment. I'll not leave. The reducing followers were thanks to Google. I must admit I was taking it personal. I had worked on this post for a while and read it many times before I posted. I wasn't "fishing" for compliments but was very thrilled with the ones I received. I'm slim lining. I'm not doing as many prompts. I write so I will continue.

As someone from another country is there some question you have that you have just been dying to ask someone from Arkansas? I will be more than happy to answer any you may have.

Thanks again to your entire team of writers here. I read a lot of posts I don't comment on but I always learn something new and enjoy my visit here.

Lowcarb team member said...

Snowbird - thanks for your comment.
Broccoli is a favourite in our house, (so is asparagus), both of these vegetables taste great don't they. I also find that broccoli can be quite reasonably priced, which can help with weekly food budgets!

All the best Jan

Lowcarb team member said...

Gail many thanks for your comment and thoughts.
Many do enjoy eating broccoli raw too - and why not!

Now referencing back to your blog post here http://gailatthefarm.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/camel-crickets-versus-brown-crickets.html

Talking about eating crickets I thought this article was thought provoking:
" Insects are more efficient at converting feed to body mass. For example, chickens contain 55% edible weight, while crickets can be eaten entirely in the nymphal stage or provide 80% edible mass as adults. Crickets are twice as efficient as chickens, four times as efficient as pigs, and twelve times as efficient as cattle in generating edible weight. And they take up less space too because insects generally don't have to expend energy to maintain a consistent body temperature, so that energy can go towards fueling their growth."
Words taken from here
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/whats-stopping-us-from-eating-insects/

And again referring back to your blog post here
http://gailatthefarm.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/reassessing.html
Yes, I too have read that google have made some changes which have affected the number of blog followers - but must admit I haven't researched further ... So pleased to hear you will continue your writing

Regarding your question about Arkansas - isn't it always the way - if someone asks a question 'have you got any questions' you can never think of one! But I will give this some thought ...

Finally,thank you very much from us ALL for your last sentence, which I've repeated here.
"Thanks again to your entire team of writers here. I read a lot of posts I don't comment on but I always learn something new and enjoy my visit here."
We are always pleased to have your visits and many thanks for your kind comments.

From us all we wish you a happy day and a good weekend ahead.

All the best Jan

Gail said...

Thanks, Jan.

I will have to get very hungry to eat a cricket but good to know I can.

Have a blessed weekend.

Lowcarb team member said...

Hi again Gail ... it's amazing what you can find out about / discover on the inter-web!

Enjoy your weekend

All the best Jan

chris c said...

I switch to the Calabrese type when the purple sprouting season ends. Nearly bought some this week until the girl in the veg shop showed me where they had moved the PSB to . . .

Lowcarb team member said...

Chris - many thanks for your comment.
Yes Purple Sprouting Broccoli, in the UK, runs from January to May (approx) so I'm glad you were able to get some.
If you or other readers wish to find out more, please use this link here: http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/purple-sprouting-broccoli.html

Enjoy your weekend

All the best Jan

Lisa said...

This is one veg I do like, although I like it quite soft so that's how everyone has to eat it!
Put it in a cheesy pasta meal last night which the children wolfed down. I had mine with yorkshires and gravy, yummy.
Lisa x

Lowcarb team member said...

Lisa - many thanks for your comment.
Broccoli, is just so good ... glad you all enjoy it.

Hope this new week is going well - although I can't believe it's Wednesday already!

All the best Jan