Broccoli - Give It a Second Chance - Plus a Great Slow Cooker Recipe

Did you mother force you to eat broccoli as a child? Did you hate it? Perhaps you ate it only as a 'little tree' smothered in ranch dressing. As a grown up, are you giving some thought to eating better? Now that you're making your own choices in life, you should give broccoli a second chance. For many folks, broccoli is a 'go to' vegetable choice, and for many healthy reasons too. There's no need to stick with the 'little tree' option when there are so many ways to enjoy broccoli.

Broccoli is first of all a super food full of vitamins, fiber, folic acid and calcium. Eating broccoli helps you maintain strong bones, as well as reducing high blood pressure. There are many other conditions that this wonderful green veggie helps eliminate or control.

We've discussed here how great broccoli is for your body, so why are you still sitting there doubting whether or not you can stand to eat it? All you really need to do is find some tasty ways to prepare it. Lots of people love to simply steam their broccoli and enjoy it as a dinner side. Don't over cook your broccoli or you'll lose most of the nutrients, ending up with a limp green mass. Kind of negates your reasons for incorporating it into your diet. Slightly crunchy is best; tender and still bright green.

One favorite method is to steam and then add some cheese. Cheddar is great, but even some of the processed cheese that melts easily is quite tasty, and you're still getting the benefits of the vegetable. You can add broccoli to soups and stews as well. Broccoli tastes great combined with cauliflower and or carrots; drizzle melted cheese over the top and yummy! Do you like baked potatoes? Then top yours with broccoli and cheese with a dab of sour cream. Delicious.

While we're on the subject of how to prepare broccoli, here's a great recipe to try:

Cheesy Broccoli Bake

2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen chopped broccoli, partially thawed
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers (about 25)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, soup, 1 cup cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Pour into a greased slow cooker. Sprinkle crackers on top; dot with butter. Cover and cook on high for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Now that you've discovered there's no need to fear broccoli any more, go out and yourself a nice head of broccoli and treat yourself to a healthy and delicious meal.

 

Simple Cooking, Great Results - Un-Complicating the Complicated

By Sue Cockburn  Sue Cockburn
Level: Basic

Sue lives with her husband Ian and their 4-legged 'kids' Karly (German Shepherd), Lial (Manx cat) and Riley (Tabby cat) on the west coast of ...

I'm always looking for how I can prepare food with less fuss - easier, simpler - and still get great results.

Over the years I've rarely met a recipe I didn't like - or want to change. Of course, some recipes are complicated and changing them can dramatically alter the outcome. I leave these recipes for the great chefs - not the lazy chef! All day in the kitchen, even though I love to cook, is not how I like to spend my time.

Truth be told, I've rarely followed a recipe completely. The probable exceptions are things like pastry (lard or vegetable oil shortening) where I've followed to the letter the directions on the box - except for using half whole wheat and half unbleached flour instead of white or unbleached.

But one of the main time savers for me in preparing food is in 'how' a recipe is put together and cooked. Let me explain.

Some recipes ask us to do things that we just don't need to do!

From my experience, some recipes ask us to do things that we just don't need to do. For instance: sifting flour or icing sugar, or cooking things in a bunch of different stages. I find these extra steps are often not necessary. Yes, sometimes they are, but often they are not.

So, by paying close attention to what a recipe is asking me to do and then asking myself "is this really a necessary step?" or "why is this necessary?" I save myself a ton of time. After all, why spend time doing things that will have little or no impact on the dish you are creating?

Four ways to reduce the complexity

Here are four of the ways I look to reduce the complexity of my time in the kitchen:

No sifting - None of my recipes require sifting. If I'm trying someone else's recipe and it says 'sift the flour', I don't, unless I'm absolutely convinced sifting is necessary and that not doing so will have an obviously negative impact on the recipe (I can't remember the last time I sifted flour! That said some recipes DO require sifting.)
Everything prepped before beginning - When putting together recipes I try to include as much about how to prepare each ingredient in the Ingredient List. For instance, "2 chicken breasts - thinly sliced". A recipe or meal comes together much easier if any meat, vegetables, herbs and seasonings are prepared by dicing, slicing or chopping them and setting them aside BEFORE starting to cook. I get confused easily! So, if the ingredients aren't rinsed, dried, prepped and ready to go before I turn on the stove then I may be cooking up trouble rather than dinner. One caveat, some herbs, like fresh basil, should not be chopped into pieces until just before they are used. They wither and brown quickly so this caveat mainly applies where they are being added fresh, not cooked.
Any ingredients needed at hand - Any special sauce mixtures, or ingredients for sauces you will be making, along with other seasonings should be easily at hand. This saves scrambling for something at the last minute while your precious concoction burns on the stove.
Staged cooking - I'll cook as much as I can together at one time rather than separately or adding things in stages. Usually this means the veggies and the meat are cooked separately but all the veggies are cooked together along with any garlic or ginger, rather than in stages. Examples of this are stir fries, turkey or chicken pies, chili, spaghetti, or any recipe that includes veggies.

Ultimately, each recipe should be considered in its own right. Just because a recipe is complicated doesn't make it good, just as being uncomplicated doesn't make it not as good. What counts for me is: taste, health quotient and simplicity. And I'm amazed how these three qualities can make fabulous tasting, healthier and surprisingly simple meals.

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Article Submitted On: April 26, 2011

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