All About Broccoli: Nature’s Perfect Food

You probably didn’t see what was so great about broccoli as a child, but the truth is that this vegetable is one of nature’s superfoods! From its stalk to its flowering head, broccoli is packed with nutrients and vitamins needed for your overall health and wellbeing - and it goes great in a wide variety of dishes. This vegetable has been around for centuries, and it has always been used and viewed as the perfect go-to food.

It’s healthy, can be eaten in a number of different ways, comes with lots of health benefits, is easy to cook, and offers the body a single boost of minerals in every serving. Here's some interesting information about broccoli for the cook and health enthusiast alike.

Understanding Broccoli from Top to Bottom

Many people aren’t aware just how much there is to know about broccoli. Yes, it’s a vegetable, and yes, it’s incredibly good for you—but that’s not all. This anatomical breakdown of broccoli should teach you everything you need to know about this vegetable and more. So, let’s begin with the basics.

What Exactly is Broccoli?

An edible green plant belonging to the cabbage family, broccoli is a vegetable that originated in Italy as many as 2,000 years ago. While, its flowering head is usually used as a vegetable in a variety of meals, the entire vegetable can be eaten and contains a host of nutritional values.

Arranged like a small tree, broccoli closely resembles cauliflower, which is another vegetable of the same species. Due to its rich green color, broccoli is high in antioxidants and other essential vitamins.

Parts of the Broccoli Plant

A broccoli plant is made up of three main parts:

•    The root system
•    Leaves and stalk
•    The crowning head

When still in the ground, the root system of the broccoli plant needs nutrient-rich soil in order to grow and support the plant. Broccoli plants need to be watered often in order to keep the plant hydrated and well fed as it approaches maturity.

The leaves and stalk are lesser-known parts of the broccoli plant because gardeners and farmers often discard these pieces at harvest. However, they are actually edible and highly nutritious. Broccoli leaves can be long and thin or short and wide and grow along the stalk. They are often blue-green in color and thicken towards the head of the plant.

The crowning head is the part of the broccoli most familiar to people. Sometimes called the curd or the head, the top of the broccoli is most commonly eaten. This head is made of small, dense edible floral shoots. Usually, the head is harvested long before the shoots, or little florets open. Sometimes the heads are purple, but the green shoots are most commonly cultivated by gardeners. The best growth environment for the broccoli plant is in full sun, with plenty of water, and of course, the nutrient rich soil mentioned earlier.

What is Broccoli’s Nutritional Value?

Broccoli is a great food to eat when you are looking to get extra fiber and vitamin C into your diet. When grown in organic, nutrient-rich soil, broccoli contains various nutrients that hold anti-cancer properties and support a strong, healthy immune system.

A great source of natural energy, broccoli is low in carbs, and fat but high in protein.

Nutrients: It contains B vitamins, Thiamine, Niacin, Riboflavin and Folate as well as traces of calcium, iron, potassium, and phosphorous.

High Fiber: Broccoli is also high in fiber that supports heart health, helps lower bad cholesterol and supports healthy weight management because it is filling and very low in calories.

How is Broccoli Prepared?

Broccoli can be steamed, boiled, microwaved, stir-fried, or eaten raw. However, over cooking or boiling broccoli has been proven to reduce levels of anti-carcinogenic compounds present in the food. It is therefore best to eat it raw, or to steam it until it reaches a bright green color, but no longer.

How You Can Add More Broccoli to Your Diet

Adding broccoli to your daily diet can do wonders for your health. A side of broccoli at dinner, a broccoli salad for lunch, chopped broccoli along with eggs or in an omelet for breakfast, or even chopped and eaten raw as a healthy snack is great way to include this superfood in your diet.

All parts of broccoli can also be juiced, including the stems, leaves and heads, and it makes a great addition to green juice, along with kale, spinach, green apples, celery, cucumber, and lemon.

Be sure to check back later this week for some tasty broccoli recipes to try!

Recipe: Home Garden Pork Stir-Fry

This tasty stir fry combines pork with lots of fresh veggies for a quick and simple summer dinner that's ready in a jiffy. Add red pepper flakes and minced ginger for an extra kick.

Home Garden Pork Stir-Fry
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2 tablespoons high-heat oil
2 carrots, sliced into small strips
2 cups small broccoli florettes
1 red pepper, sliced in thin strips
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 pound naturally raised pork, cut in thin strips
1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions:

• Heat oil in skillet and then add carrots, broccoli, red pepper, onions and garlic powder. Cook for 5 minutes (you don't want to overcook - vegetables should be firm and crisp). Remove from skillet and cover to keep warm.
• Add mushrooms to the skillet and then add pork strips. Next, add the soy sauce.
• Put the vegetables back in the skillet cook over medium high heat until heated through.
• Serve over brown rice.

Recipe: Savory Vinaigrette Dressed Tubetti Veggie Salad

This fresh, zesty pasta salad is great for any spring or summer barbecue or potluck. Lots of fresh veggies, herbs, and pasta, mixed with a fresh, simple homemade dressing equals lots of flavor and color on your plate!

Savory Vinaigrette Dressed Tubetti Veggie Salad
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb) pkg tubetti (or ziti, penne, or other tube-shaped pasta)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 head broccoli, cut into bite size florettes
3 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 regular carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced into strips
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Put tubetti pasta in a large pot of boiling water, add the 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until just short of being al dente, then add broccoli and cook for a minute or two longer, just until pasta is al dente.  Drain pasta and broccoli very well through a colander and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
• In a food processor combine the garlic, oregano, mustard, and vinegar, pulsing until just combined.
• With motor running, start gradually drizzling in oil, processing until a smooth vinaigrette dressing is formed.
• Pour this vinaigrette dressing over the drained tubetti and broccoli in the bowl and toss to coat well.
• Add the carrots, red bell pepper, and parsley, tossing gently until blended.  Taste and salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve immediately.

Related Resource:

Well Dressed: Salad Dressings
By Jeff Keys

Salads are naked without tasty dressings. This book is filled with recipes for viniagrettes and creamy dressings to enjoy on a variety of salads, including light, summer pasta salads. This collection of 75 different dressing combinations combines, not only the usual dressing ingredients, but you'll find mangos, sweet onions, green olives, capers, and many other exciting ingredients. You'll also find plenty of warm dressings, too. Create pasta salads for picnics, or any meal.

Recipe: Broccoli Ricotta Over Spinach Noodles

This is a great spring or summer meal - lovely green broccoli and spinach noodles are set off with creamy white ricotta, and with mild flavors and milk and cheese, even the kids may like this broccoli dish.

Broccoli Ricotta Over Spinach Noodles
Ingredients:

4 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut small
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, diced fine
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano leaves, crushed
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
8 oz spinach noodles, any shape, cooked
Optional: Parmesan for sprinkling on top

Directions:

1. In large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter and add broccoli florets. Cook stirring for 5 minutes or until broccoli softens a bit.
2. Add onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
3. While stirring, sprinkle in flour, stir to combine, then add parsley, salt, and oregano.
4. Turn heat down to low, and slowly pour in milk, stirring constantly; continue stirring until milk thickens.
5. Gently stir in ricotta cheese, stirring until melted.
6. Serve broccoli ricotta sauce over hot cooked spinach noodles.
7. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe: Sweet Creamy Broccoli Bacon Salad

This tasty recipe combines the nutritional benefits of raw broccoli with sweet raisins and nutty sunflower seeds for extra nutrients and energy. Add crispy bacon, and tangy apple cider vinegar and you have a flavor combination that will tantalize your tastebuds too!

Sweet Creamy Broccoli Bacon Salad

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh broccoli, cut into small florets
8 slices bacon, diced, fried crisp, and drained
1 small sweet onion, chopped fine
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

• Toss together in a large bowl the first 5 ingredients.
• In separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.
• Add dressing to salad and toss gently to combine.
• Taste for salt, and adjust seasoning.
• Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least several hours to let flavors combine (best if chilled overnight).

The Broccoli Boost – A Super Food For All

When former President George W. Bush made his shocking proclamation that he didn't like broccoli and that he wasn't about to eat any, you could almost hear parents across the country gasping. While some kids might have praised the proclamation as an excuse to justify their own broccoli beliefs, the popularity of  broccoli has really never wavered. Parents still are finding ways to get broccoli on their kids' plates by using any means possible - and for good reason. Let's take a look at what this versatile vegetable has to offer.

What's In It for Me

Broccoli (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, broccoli remains one of the best selling vegetables in America for many reasons. This low-calorie, nutrient-rich vegetable has been praised for some miraculous health benefits. This list of benefits includes fighting cancer, boosting our immune systems, building stronger bones, and lowering the risk for cataracts. Broccoli earns its distinction as one of the top super foods in diets around the world.

Broccoli is a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, B6, folate, potassium and manganese. We're familiar with most of these, of course, but did you know that folate is linked to reducing birth defects and heart disease? Along with these nutrients, broccoli is also a good source of protein, vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, and iron.

The words super-food and antioxidant often go together, and broccoli is no exception.  Rich in antioxidants, those damaging free-radicals don't stand a chance against broccoli.  One of those antioxidants is Q10 which helps the body produce energy. Another specific component of broccoli’s superpower status involves a compound called sulforaphane which triggers potent anti-cancer enzymes. These enzymes are also effective in eliminating bacteria that can cause peptic ulcers.

And, you don't have to eat a lot of broccoli to get all these super nutrients. Just one cup of broccoli provides over 40 milligrams of calcium and almost 80 milligrams of vitamin C. That even beats milk as a nutritional food source.  All this nutrition is available in only 25 calories, plus broccoli is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Choosing the Right Bunch

Selecting fresh broccoli isn’t difficult. Look for sturdy stalks with compact, dark green florets, and avoid wilted specimens with yellowing buds, as these stalks are already past their prime. Broccoli stores well in the refrigerator for up to three days before losing its vitamin content. In some supermarkets, you will even find hybrids like broccoflower or broccolini, which combine kale or cauliflower with broccoli.

Trim any leaves from the stalk and trim the woody end of the stalk off the bottom. If you prefer to eat only the florets, or your recipe calls for just the florets, cut the broccoli florets off the stalk, rinse under running water, and drain. Save the stalks for another recipe if desired. (Peeled and shredded broccoli stems make a great "slaw" salad.)

Cooking and Serving Tips

Broccoli is one of the more versatile vegetables you can eat, holding up well in a number of recipes and cooking methods. Of course, the closer you keep your broccoli to its raw state, the more nutrients you will maintain.

Freshly steamed broccoli. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are cooking your broccoli to serve as a side dish, you should only cook it for a few moments, until the florets turn bright green. Cooking broccoli for more time than necessary causes the nutritional benefits to deteriorate.  If the broccoli becomes mushy during steaming or boiling, it's cooked too long.  You may choose to flash-cook the broccoli in a microwave to keep the cooking time short and to maintain more of the nutrients. Although, the microwave debate still goes on about whether it reduces or destroys nutrients in broccoli. You decide.

Broccoli can be used in anything from stir-fry to casseroles, omelets, soups, and salads. The florets are a pretty, and nutritious, addition to many dishes. The stalks can be chopped and sauted, roasted, or cooked and pureed for a creamy broccoli soup. You'll find thousand of recipes using broccoli once you start searching.

Of course, we can't talk about broccoli and kids without talking about broccoli trees. Raw broccoli florets look like little trees, so use this to your advantage when trying to get kids to eat their broccoli. With a bit of creamy dressing for 'snow,' make a little forest of broccoli trees and your kids will be tempted to gobble them up in no time.

It should also be noted that sprouts from broccoli have the same healthful benefits as the plant itself. Toss a handful of sprouts on top of a salad for a real boost of flavor and nutrients. Or, tuck a pile of broccoli sprouts into a tortilla wrap sandwich for a crunchy treat. Anywhere you want to add crunch, add broccoli sprouts.

No matter how you serve broccoli - raw, blanched, or steamed as a side dish, or as an ingredient in a main dish, you can't go wrong with this powerhouse vegetable. Besides the boost broccoli gives your immune system, and your overall health, broccoli is just plain tasty. This is one super food you don't want to skip.

Recipe: Garden Slaw With Tender Broccoli Flowers

This tasty and unique fresh salad is a great way to use up some of those broccoli plants that may start to bolt (go to flower) in the late spring.  Zesty mustard, honey, and yogurt add a kick to the mildly sweet crunch of broccoli in this new twist on the traditional slaw salad.

Garden Slaw With Tender Broccoli Flowers
(Serves 4-6.)

Broccoli buds. (Photo credit: Chiot's Run)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sliced raw almonds, toasted
1 bunch mature broccoli stems (may substitute cabbage slaw)
2 carrots, peeled
3 Tbsp light olive oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
fresh broccoli flowers for garnish (fresh, cleaned, and stamen or pistil removed)

Directions:

• Start by toasting the almonds: put them in a small skillet, without oil, over medium heat and shake until almonds start to get golden brown. Remove and set aside.
• Make slaw by peeling the tough skin off the broccoli stems, then using the peeler, make curls out of the tender insides of the broccoli stems. Put in bowl.
• Use the peeler to make curly slaw out of carrots, add to bowl.
• Make dressing by whisking together the remaining ingredients until smooth; then pour the dressing over the slaw.
• Add the toasted almonds, tossing to combine.
• Let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times.
• To serve, spoon portions onto individual salad plates. Top with fresh cleaned broccoli flowers for garnish and flavor.

Recipe - Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

If you're trying to maintain a vegan diet or avoid animal products, this soup offers lots of healthy veggies, along with the rich creamy taste you're craving. If you're like me and don't like the taste of soymilk, or are allergic to or avoiding soy products, you can also substitute coconut milk for a tropical creamy flavor.

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
(Serves about 5 - 7)

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1 lb broccoli, cut into florets, stalk cut into chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 cups vegetable stock
2 ½ cups soy milk (or coconut milk)
1 tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Handful of almond slivers, toasted

Instructions:

• In a large saucepan, combine the broccoli, onion, garlic and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Season well. 
• Place soup into a food processor and add the flour. Blend until smooth then return to the saucepan. 
• Stir in the soy milk and soy sauce and heat gently until the soup thickens. Adjust seasoning.
•  Sprinkle with basil leaves and toasted almond slivers and serve immediately with fresh cornbread. (See Friday's post for this recipe!)

Recipe - Quinoa Broccoli With Sundried Tomatoes

Here is a tasty recipe that will fill you up and get some great veggies into your meal at the same time. Feel free to dress it up with your own choice of herbs, and add other veggies if you like. Let us know how you like it! (FYI - the picture is not of the dish - it is of plain, cooked red quinoa - pretty, isn't it?)

Image via WikipediaQuinoa Broccoli With Sundried Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 cup sundried tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup uncooked quinoa (red or white)
3 cups small broccoli florets
Optional: chopped cashews and diced green onions for toppings

Instructions: 

1. Put sundried tomatoes in a heat-proof bowl, cover with hot water, and let sit for 15 minutes; then drain water and chop tomatoes into small pieces and set aside.
2. In a large pot, put 1/2 cup of the broth and bring to a simmer; add onion and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the sundried tomatoes, remaining 1 cup of broth, white wine, and lemon juice; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and stir in quinoa; cover and simmer slowly for 20 minutes.
5. Uncover pot and put broccoli in pot, re-cover pot and simmer for another 10 minutes. 
6. Remove pot from heat and toss ingredients together, fluffing up the quinoa and mixing in the broccoli.
7. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of cashews and green onions if desired.

Video - Shrimp with Broccoli

Here is a great step-by-step video showing how to make a delicious broccoli & shrimp stir-fry. To keep it healthier, I would definitely saute the shrimp in just a TB or so of oil, instead of frying them. You can also steam the broccoli briefly, which is healthier and protects the nutrients better than microwaving it.

But it's a pretty simple recipe that shouldn't take long to prepare, and it looks very tasty!  Check it out, and see what you think.

Shrimp with Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe
This delicious dish is simple to make and makes a great lunch! Here is the link to the written instructions for this recipe: www.bellaonline.com

Other Good Chinese Recipes: