Vegetable of the Month

What will it be, what will it be??



*drumroll* drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr



Broccoli!

Yes, the humble broccoli is in peak season in Ontario this month.  To celebrate, it has earned status as the Veggie of the Month!

These hardy little trees hold an amazing number of nutritional benefits, and they are incredibly versatile.  They can be enjoyed raw, steamed, roasted, boiled, in soups and stews, stir fries, salads, and many more delicious dishes!  This veggie is a member of the brassica family, along with cauliflower, cabbages, bok choy, brussels sprouts, and kale.  Brassica veggies are notable for their health benefits, including having high levels of vitamin C, calcium, and other nutrients and phytochemicals, which may hold potential cancer-preventing properties. 

From the Canadian Nutrient File, a half cup of raw broccoli (one serving in Canada's Food Guide) supplies:

• only 16 calories! And almost 0g of fat!
• 22mg of calcium
• 41mg of vitamin C (about half of your daily need! Also an antioxidant!)
• 168mcg of betacarotene (antioxidant!)
• 47mcg of vitamin K (about 1/2 of a woman's daily need)
• 652mcg of lutein (important in eye health and preventing macular degeneration)

What to do with your broccoli?

Broccoli should be a dark green colour, so try to avoid the broccoli that have yellow or brown patches on their florets (depending on the variety of broccoli, the florets might be a sage colour or a purple-green, and those are totally acceptable!).  The stems should be firm, not slimy or squishy.

When cooking your broccoli, cut the florets into even sized pieces (usually quarters works well) for even cooking.  You can also eat the stems!  For best results, peel the stems to remove the woody outer part and then cut into about 1/2" pieces.

Give me a recipe!

I posted this recipe for a healthier version of Cream of Broccoli soup.  Since broccoli is so ridiculously versatile though, rather than giving you only one recipe, I'm simply going to list some amazing places that you can use these teeny trees today!

• Raw, dipped into your favourite hummus/babaganoush/other veggie dip
• Steamed, eaten plain or with a little bit of butter, margarine, olive oil and/or lemon juice sprinked on top.  Only steam your broccoli until it is fork-tender, as it can be mushy and gross tasting if it is oversteamed.
• Roast on a sheet lined with parchment paper at 400 for about 12-15 minutes.  Sprinkle with lemon, olive oil and sea salt, and/or maybe some parmesan cheese.  Mmmmmmm.
• Add stems to your favourite homemade veggie soup.  They are hardier than the florets, and won't turn mushy when boiled in the soup.  You can also create your own broccoli soup by boiling broccoli (florets and/or stems) in stock and puréeing.
• Add broccoli to your omelette or scrambled eggs.  I cut up my broccoli florets into little bitty pieces, sautée in the pan till they are just fork-tender (takes only a couple of minutes if they are super teeny), and add scrambled eggs.  Also awesome when mixed with other veggies, such as mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach.
• Add steamed broccoli florets to your pasta.  You can add it to your sauce, or simply toss cooked pasta with olive oil, steamed broccoli and pine nuts.  A little cheese wouldn't hurt either :)
• Add broccoli to stews and chili.  Though it's definitely not stew/chili season right now, when it turns to fall, a great way to keep enjoying this great veggie into the winter (*shudder*) is to simply toss it into a big ol' pot. 
• Make a broccoli salad.  A quick Google search revealed hundreds of delicious looking salads, but this one from JamieOliver.com won me over.  I made this one without bacon, and added pumpkin seeds and slivered almonds.

How do you like your broccoli? 
And remember, it's not too late to submit your ideas for future veggies/fruits of the month!  Just leave me a comment!