# How to make Broccoli delicious?



## love2eat

I love broccoli. I like its antioxidant power. But I am tired of same flavor. Do you have any delicious recipe to share?

My wife is diabetic, low sodium, no carb, low fat are the basic requirements.

Here is my lazy way to cook broccoli:
2 cups cut broccoli crowns
dash ground pepper
dash garlic powder
2 tbsp water or broth
2 squirts amino 
1 tbsp butter-flavored Fleishmann spread

combine and cover with microwaveable wrap and nuke it for 3 minutes.


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## Dina

Cook it to your liking then shock it, toss with a touch of butter, caramelized onions, fresh garlic, parmesan cheese and top with mozzarella, bake or microwave only till cheese melts.

You can also toss it with red pasta sauce and topped with your favorite melted cheeses.

Cook it in chicken stock and mix in some white rice, topped with cheddar


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## pdswife

Dina that sounds perfect!  Yummy.  Here's a recipe that I just found.  Mario Batali's Broccoli       Directions Cut 3 pounds broccoli into spears. Heat 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add broccoli and cook, tossing frequently and gradually adding 1 cup dry white wine to keep garlic from browning. Cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon hot red-pepper flakes and grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange. Toss gently.   Serves 4.


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## Caine

Stir fried quickly in sesame oil.


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## valnaples

How about tossing with olive oil, some red pepper flakes  and even a little crushed fresh garlic and roasting it in the oven? Roasted broccoli and cauliflower are really excellent.


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## grumblebee

This sounds a bit odd, but my Mom used to take leftover cooked broccoli from the fridge, add in a bit of mayonnaise (you can use reduced fat or low fat miracle whip), salt and pepper and we'd eat it cold w/ the simple dressing. It's really tasty this way even though it sounds weird.


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## pdswife

sounds.. like a veggie salad.  Not too weird.  lol


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## Chopstix

Brocolli & Cheese soup. One of my favorites. Maybe you can use low-fat cheese.


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## grumblebee

Oh, I had another idea! Broccoli casserole:

Cut broccoli into bite size florets and blanche until slightly cooked. Put broccoli in casserole dish and cover with 1 can of reduced fat cream of broccoli or cream of mushroom soup. (reconstitute the soup w/ 1 can of milk before adding it to broccoli) Cover broccoli w/ seasoned penko and a bit of freshly grated parmasan cheese. (if you only use a little bit the fat content will stay relitively low) Bake in oven until top is golden brown.


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## Constance

I usually just braise it in chicken broth with a bit of butter, garlic, salt and pepper. 

I also have many, many other broccoli recipes, so if you want more, just ask.

By the way, if you eat just one average sized, raw broccoli floret a day, it will give you all the calcium your body needs. Or so says my holistic practitioner.


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## Robo410

a fresh lemmon juice tarragon olive oil dressing tossed with whole wheat noodles or boiled new potatoes.  real nice  (also good with stringbeans)


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## amber

Dont have much to offer for suggestions, but my guess would be Robo's idea, seeing as this is low sugar, low salt, low carb, low fat.


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## grumblebee

Constance said:
			
		

> By the way, if you eat just one average sized, raw broccoli floret a day, it will give you all the calcium your body needs. Or so says my holistic practitioner.


 
How big of a floret did they say to eat? 

One cup of chopped broccoli contains roughly 50mg of calcium. Women need between 800-1200mg of calcium daily, so methinks one floret of broccoli wont cut it!


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## cristal

*Sauted broccoli and mushrooms go really well together. I like to use a mixture of shiitakes, creminis, and oyster mushrooms, saute them with butter, garlic, and shallots, and then toss in blanced broccoli. Good stuff!*


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## reese5957

I love broccoli myself and I have read that raw broccoli is better for you than cooked broccoli.  My favorite way to eat broccoli raw, and still have taste, is to put a bunch of florets in a bowl and put a little italian dressing on it. just a little, not a lot.  Fat free dresing is not needed because you would afterall, be eating a big bowl of raw broccoli .


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## pdswife

Oh that does sound good cristal!


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## Constance

grumblebee said:
			
		

> How big of a floret did they say to eat?
> 
> One cup of chopped broccoli contains roughly 50mg of calcium. Women need between 800-1200mg of calcium daily, so methinks one floret of broccoli wont cut it!



Please re-read my information source.


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## Cheech

Try topping your broccoli with  a compound butter.  I like to use an orange butter.

All you need is whole butter and some orange juice, maybe some orange zest.  Mix together until completely incorporated.  Don't use too much orange juice, you still want it to be mostly butter.

Heat your broccoli and toss with some of your compound butter and you have a completely new taste.  You can put almost any flavor in your butter so this gives you an infinate selection of flavors.

Also try topping with a mixture of breadcrumbs, fresh herbs (basil/oregano) a little olive oil and parmesan cheese.  Mix these together, top your broccoli, and bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown.


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## auntieshelly

*Raw Broccoli Salad*

You might enjoy this raw broccoli salad. I grow broccoli in my garden and prepare it many different ways, but this salad is always the most popular with family and friends.

RAW BROCCOLI SALAD
1 bunch of fresh broccoli heads, washed and cut into small florets
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, raw or roasted
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

Combine all the above ingredients and toss with the dressing below. 

DRESSING
1/4 cup mayonnaise (light or fat free may be used)
1/4 cup sour cream (light or fat free may be used)
2 TBS sugar (sugar substitute may be used)
2 TBS red wine or cider vinegar

Combine the above ingredients and pour over raw broccoli mixture.  Toss well.  Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

(You may substitute 1/2 cup mayo or Miracle Whip for the 1/4 cup mayo and the 1/4 cup sour cream.)


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## marmalady

Roasting it tossed in a little oil, salt and pepper, at about 425 degrees brings out the sweetness, and also makes a delicious crunch of the tops of the florets!


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## Constance

Broccoli and Corn Scallop 
Prep: 20 min - Total: 50 min

2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. flour
1-1/4 cups milk
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 can (11 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup crushed RITZ Crackers crumbs, divided
2 pkg. (10 oz. each) frozen broccoli spears, thawed, drained
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, divided


COOK and stir onion in 1 Tbsp. of the butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Blend in flour. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add cheese; stir until melted. Stir in corn and 1/4 cup of the crumbs.

ARRANGE broccoli in 12x8-inch baking dish; top with sauce. Mix remaining 1/4 cup crumbs and 1 Tbsp. butter, melted. Sprinkle over sauce in baking dish.

BAKE at 350°F for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Makes 8 servings

Make-Ahead: Assemble casserole as directed; cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. When ready to serve, bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated.


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## mish

welcome to DC.

I love broc in any shape or form... mostly just steamed w butter, salt and sometimes freshly grated Parm. Try squeezing some lemon juice or orange juice over the cooked broc. Add some mandarin oranges, or make a broc salad w or w/o bacon...if on a restricted diet, try turkey bacon. Hollandaise would have been another thought. Combine with roasted garlic and grilled or red chopped raw onions, & cherry tomatoes - or add roasted chestnuts or water chestnuts and sesame seeds and soy sauce. If you're a fan of bleu cheese or ranch, pour a little dressing over the combo or just some balsamic.


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## buckytom

how about an italian broccoli salad?

blanch florets of broccoli then shock in ice water. drain, then place atop a bed of romaine lettuce. top with diced roma tomatoes, diced celery, minced raw garlic, and diced onion. dress with a lemon viniagrette.


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## pdswife

Sounds good Bucky... how do you make the vinagrette?


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## mudbug

For me, there is no way to make broccoli delicious.  But you guys go ahead.....


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## ironchef

I like to blanch it and then puree it with chicken stock, then use that to make a risotto. Finish the risotto off with soft goat cheese and extra virgin olive oil.


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## Constance

mudbug said:
			
		

> For me, there is no way to make broccoli delicious.  But you guys go ahead.....



OK, Mudbug...I'll eat your share!


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## grumblebee

ironchef said:
			
		

> I like to blanch it and then puree it with chicken stock, then use that to make a risotto. Finish the risotto off with soft goat cheese and extra virgin olive oil.


 
How would you encorporate the pureed broccoli in with the risotto? Do you cook the risotto first and then add it in at the end? 

This sounds really nice... i'm intrigued!


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## pdswife

Also try topping with a mixture of breadcrumbs, fresh herbs (basil/oregano) a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. Mix these together, top your broccoli, and bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown.  Sounds great. I'm going to try this one tomorrow


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## ironchef

grumblebee said:
			
		

> How would you encorporate the pureed broccoli in with the risotto? Do you cook the risotto first and then add it in at the end?
> 
> This sounds really nice... i'm intrigued!


 
Yeah, I cook the risotto until about 7/8th of the way done and then stir in the broccoli/stock mixture so that the risotto finishes cooking while absorbing the rest of the liquid from the puree. I then fold in the goat cheese off the heat (you don't need butter if adding the goat cheese) and then drizzle the extra virgin olive oil on top just before serving.


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## grumblebee

ironchef said:
			
		

> Yeah, I cook the risotto until about 7/8th of the way done and then stir in the broccoli/stock mixture so that the risotto finishes cooking while absorbing the rest of the liquid from the puree. I then fold in the goat cheese off the heat (you don't need butter if adding the goat cheese) and then drizzle the extra virgin olive oil on top just before serving.


 
That sounds so good... definitely going to try this one. Thanks IronChef! (and BTW, iron chef is one of my favourite cooking shows   The japanese version though - not the American one)


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## buckytom

pdswife said:
			
		

> Sounds good Bucky... how do you make the vinagrette?


 
pdswife, i whisk about 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and the zest of a lemon, minced, into about 1/2 cup evoo. i also add a little thyme and oregano, and black pepper to taste. minced garlic is also a nice addition, but since i put garlic on the salad already, i didn't want to kill anyone with sulphur breath.


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## COGRILLGUY

I keep it super simple.........I just steam the broccoli and sprinkle on a little garlic powder and some fresh parm.


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## kulikuli

Brocoli or Cauliflower Curry. Yum.


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## love2eat

cristal said:
			
		

> *Sauted broccoli and mushrooms go really well together. I like to use a mixture of shiitakes, creminis, and oyster mushrooms, saute them with butter, garlic, and shallots, and then toss in blanced broccoli. Good stuff!*


Awesome, Cristal!
I'll try this one tonight! I've got some leftover mushrooms.


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## love2eat

Dina said:
			
		

> Cook it to your liking then shock it, toss with a touch of butter, caramelized onions, fresh garlic, parmesan cheese and top with mozzarella, bake or microwave only till cheese melts.
> 
> You can also toss it with red pasta sauce and topped with your favorite melted cheeses.
> 
> Cook it in chicken stock and mix in some white rice, topped with cheddar


Thanks, Dina,
Cheese sounds great. I'll try this on weekend. I normally don't buy cheese. But you gave me a good reason to buy some. 
 I need to highlight the cheese words just to remind me which ones to buy !


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## Gretchen

Roast it. It


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## Gretchen

Roast it. It is delicious.


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## mish

Broccoli with Pine Nuts & Raisins

3/4 pound broccoli, cut into spears 
1/4 cup butter or margarine 
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Heat 1 cup water to boiling in 2-quart saucepan; add broccoli. Cook about 10 minutes or until stems are crisp-tender; drain.

Melt butter in skillet. Cook pine nuts in butter over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Stir pine nuts into broccoli. Sprinkle with raisins.

-------------

4 slices bacon 
2 cloves garlic 
1/2 cup olive oil 
1 1/2 pounds broccoli 
1/2 cup water 
1/2 cup raisins 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, diced 
1/3 cup sliced almonds 

Cut bacon slices into 1/2 inch pieces. Place bacon pieces in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until bacon is golden brown, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon to paper towels to drain. Set aside.

Pour off bacon fat from skillet; return 1 tablespoon bacon fat to skillet. Cut garlic cloves into very thin slivers. Add olive oil and garlic to skillet and saute until garlic is golden brown, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Using a slotted spoon, remove garlic from skillet and discard. Cut broccoli into small flowerets. Trim stalks, peeling them, if desired, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Add broccoli flowerets and stalks to skillet with water, raisins, salt and red pepper flakes.

Cover the skillet and cook broccoli mixture for 5 minutes. Remove cover from skillet and cook 2 minutes longer or until broccoli is tender. Add tomatoes, reserved cooked bacon and sliced almonds to the skillet.

Toss broccoli mixture gently to combine. The tomatoes should become warm but should not cook completely or release their liquid. Transfer Broccoli Mixture to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

If desired, you can substitute 1 1/2 pounds of fresh whole green beans for the broccoli. Wash the beans thoroughly under cold running water; trim the beans to remove stem ends.


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## mish

More Broccoli:

BROCCOLI CUSTARD BAKE

10 oz. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 cup sliced mushrooms 
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese 
6 eggs 
1/2 cup milk 
1/2 cup ranch dressing 
3 tablespoons flour 

In lightly greased 1 1/2-quart casserole, gently toss together broccoli, mushrooms, and cheese. 

Beat together eggs, milk, dressing, and flour until thoroughly blended. Pour over vegetables and cheese. Bake in preheated 350ºF oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.


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## love2eat

mish said:
			
		

> Broccoli with Pine Nuts & Raisins
> 
> 3/4 pound broccoli, cut into spears
> 1/4 cup butter or margarine
> 1/2 cup pine nuts
> 1/2 cup raisins
> 
> Heat 1 cup water to boiling in 2-quart saucepan; add broccoli. Cook about 10 minutes or until stems are crisp-tender; drain.
> 
> Melt butter in skillet. Cook pine nuts in butter over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Stir pine nuts into broccoli. Sprinkle with raisins.


 
Hi, Mish,
Which region use pine nuts in cooking? just curious.
I will definitely try this one.

Thanks.


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## Claire

I keep a bag of frozen around all the time.  My favorite way is with angel hair pasta (I'm using barilla's "plus" these days to up the nutritional value), red pepper flakes, salad olives, Cavendar's greek seasoning.  Olive oil and some sort of strong cheese (blue, feta, parm, etc).  Yummm.


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## Barb33

Have you tried a brocoli quiche? You can use low fat cheeses and egg beaters


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## Trip

Wow aunti, I think you just gave me something to bring to next supper at in laws. Thx


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## Trip

you guys got me onto broccolli last night so we had it topped with some nacho cheese, simple but tasty...


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## Pasadena

I have a good all-purpose way of cooking broccoli, as well as other veggies:  use about 1/2 cup of broth- chicken, beef, or mushroom work especially well, just use a really good quality broth such as Pacific (found in Whole Foods) or Wolfgang Puck, or Trader Joe's- organic, too, preferably.  Just cut the broccoli into florets, putting the stem (peel it, too, please) pieces in the bottom.  The broccoli steams/parboils- when it is just tender-crisp, it's done!  You can also pour off the broth, and add in a couple of tablespoons  of extra virgin olive oil at this point and give it a quick fry, too. My husband, a professed broccoli-hater eats this every time!


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## Snoop Puss

Broccoli sauce for pasta for four

Steam or boil a pound or so of broccoli till soft. Drain and chop finely. Cut up a couple of oz of bacon into small pieces and fry in butter (my favourite) or olive oil. Don't have the heat up too high - you don't want it to go crispy. Add a couple of cloves of finely chopped garlic for a few seconds and then stir in the broccoli and half a pint of milk. Cook on a reasonable flame for 10 to 15 mins till you are left with a creamy sauce, which you then serve on pasta with freshly grated parmesan if you're allowed it.

I know it sounds like the broccoli is overcooked, but I promise you it works. My partner is not a great fan of green vegetables, but he likes this.


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## Sararwelch

This is a good broccoli recipe.


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## VeraBlue

sauteed with olive oil, garlic and lemon zest. 

My mother used to make fried broccoli florets when we were kids.  She's steam them for a very short while, then bread them like cutlets, and then pan fry them, served with grated parmesan.  It was wonderful but hard to rationalize now.  All the breading and oil defeats the purpose of the healthy vegetable...but, still, it was delicious.


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## Constance

Pasadena, we love broccoli fixed that way. I use the chicken broth, a little minced garlic, and a tablespoon or so of butter. 
DH just brought a couple of beautiful bunches home from the market yesterday.


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## suitechic1979

BROCCOLI BEAN AND BOWTIE PASTA SALAD 4 oz bowtie pasta cooked tender and drained
11 oz can mandarin oranges; drained
15 oz can garbanzo beans; drained and rinsed
1 large bunch of fresh broccoli; washed, trimmed and chopped
2 green onions; sliced thin
*Dressing:*
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 c orange juice
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
In large salad bowl, toss cooled pasta with mandarin oranges and vegetables. In a shaker container combine ingredients for the dressing; shake to mix.Pour dressing over the salad. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until serving time.

I love this recipe.


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## Candocook

Roasted!!  Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 425* for 10-15 minutes.


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## legend_018

I just sort of made this up. I boiled the water and simmered the brocolli until it was pretty much done. Than I strained it, back in the pan. Threw some sesame oil and soy sauce and a very little bit of beef broth. stirred it around and heated it up in the pan. I liked it and my DH made a comment about it...saying that it was good.


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## lindatooo

grumblebee said:
			
		

> This sounds a bit odd, but my Mom used to take leftover cooked broccoli from the fridge, add in a bit of mayonnaise (you can use reduced fat or low fat miracle whip), salt and pepper and we'd eat it cold w/ the simple dressing. It's really tasty this way even though it sounds weird.


 
My DIL makes a wonderful salad with the same base and adds raisins, apples and nuts.  Yummy!


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## TATTRAT

I love mine with toasted garlic and browned butter. Works great w/ cauliflower too.


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## SurvivorGirl

broccoli and cauloflower sandwiches. 

steam the B & C florets till their tender, put them in pita with mayo, sliced onions, and if you please raw cabbage or lettuce little S&P and your golden. sounds odd, but it really is one of the favourites round this house!

another one (although this is for Cauliflower not broccoli).

steam C, mash up with just a touch of mayo, chopped onion, S&P. then put in between two peices of bread with some grated cheese, butter the outside of the bread (as you would grilled cheese) and fry (as you would grilled cheese). OMG this is good!!


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## csalt

It's also nice with some stem ginger or fresh ginger, finely chopped and mixed through it with a knob of butter.


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## GotGarlic

Constance said:
			
		

> By the way, if you eat just one average sized, raw broccoli floret a day, it will give you all the calcium your body needs. Or so says my holistic practitioner.



I think it takes a bit more than that, although not much  According to the The World's Healthiest Foods Web site (extensively referenced), 1 cup of broccoli has 205% of your calcium needs, so you'd need 1/2 cup to get 100% or so. That's probably 3-4 florets.

Here's broccoli's nutritional profile: WHFoods: Broccoli


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## Constance

csalt said:
			
		

> It's also nice with some stem ginger or fresh ginger, finely chopped and mixed through it with a knob of butter.


 
What is stem ginger, Csalt?

Garlic, I never stop at one floret of broccoli, anyway. In fact, I love the stuff so much, I tend to over-indulge. (Talk about going green!  )


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## rbmccleary

My family will eat almost anything with cheese on it.  I make it really lazy. I buy the steam fresh b\c you can cook it in the bag in the microwave. Then I just sprinkle it with fat free cheese any kind will do. They love it and I have a 3 yr 6yr and a 7yr old.


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## TiggerHomeMom

My 5 year old is picky in the weirdest ways, He will NOT eat cooked "trees" or raw "trees" he will only eat them if they are frozen  ... that's right, straight out of the freezer. Same for peas.


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