Broccoli is one of the most underrated vegetables at the market. Often, you hear about this crunchy crucifer in a joke or somehow involved in a message about kids not liking it. This couldn't be further from the truth. Broccoli is a winter vegetable that we can count on here on the farm. Every bit of it that we don't eat during the cool spring and even cooler fall garden gets blanched and frozen to enjoy all winter.
We never have enough in the freezer so I have to buy it, and broccoli is one of those vegetables where I don't skimp on quality. I follow the Dirty Dozen recommendations of the Environmental Working Group, and buy frozen broccoli whenever I can (Bird's Eye) which only has a rating of 1.5 on the scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst offenders for residual chemicals. When I am lucky, my stores carry it frozen and organic, but just plain frozen Bird's Eye is the norm.
We love broccoli roasted, steamed, cooked into recipes, and I even have one child who eats it by the coffee cup full just for a fun snack. I know, that's odd. Here are some of my favorite broccoli recipes from the Foodista Archives. Enjoy!
Italian Broccoli with Caramelized Onions & Balsamic Glaze
This broccoli dish is not only a mind blowing side dish, it's also a very filling lunch. I may know someone who eats this regularly. That's not weird, right? I am asking for a friend.
Hearty and filling, I challenge you to find someone who can resist this warm, cheesy dish. It's a family favorite!
Broccoli Slaw With Dried Cranberries
This recipe is the answer to what use are the broccoli stems? Peel them to remove the woody outside, and sliver them into tender slices for this tasty salad. If you don't have time for that, bags of broccoli slaw is sold in any grocery store and it's pretty inexpensive. Try this with our without the crunchy Ramen,it's delightful either way.
Chicken and Roasted Broccoli Salad with Goat Cheese
That's right. Broccoli is bold and tasty enough to make up the main part of this dish. Once roasted, the mellow flavors turn into something magical. I could eat it straight from the roasting pan-not that I ever have of course.
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