I have to give a nod to BROCCOLI early in the vegetable of the week posts. We eat broccoli in some form multiple times per week in our house. I have always eaten broccoli frequently - growing up, at one point my brother was on a diet that involved eating broccoli daily, so the whole household joined in!
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, rich in sulforaphane, a plant compound by-product that has been shown to have a protective effect against cancer. Broccoli is also rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, potassium and manganese.
I normally simply steam broccoli and serve with sea salt, but there are so many ways of serving broccoli! For example, my kids love Roasted Broccoli prepared by cutting the head of broccoli into small florets, coating with olive or avocado oil and salt (optional: paprika, smoked paprika, garlic granules) and roasting at 425F until the tops begin to brown. Broccoli is also a great add-in to pasta dishes, great dipped in ranch or on top of pizza.
I am currently experimenting with pickling the broccoli stems but love peeling and eating them on their own as well.
Broccoli sprouts, which can be made in your own kitchen, have even more sulforaphane than broccoli florets and can be eaten raw or steamed. If you are looking to maximize the cancer-protective effects of broccoli, another trick is to cut broccoli florets at least 90 minutes before cooking them (or the night before!). This transforms broccoli's plant compounds called glucosinolates into sulforaphanes via the enzyme myrosinase. Bon appetit!
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