by Lauren Follett, BA, RHN, Registered Nutritionist
It’s easy to get stuck in a cooking rut especially when it comes to vegetables. We’ve all done the boiled or steamed broccoli thing, and it’s boring. Next time you go to cook broccoli, try roasting or throwing it on the BBQ instead!
Broccoli is a hard, fibrous veggie so it can totally handle being roasted at high temperatures. Roasting makes it brown & crispy, and gives them an awesome savory flavor. Simply toss them in a bit of grapeseed oil, season with S & P or Mrs. Dash and roast at 450F for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through (you can also follow the same roasting instructions and do them on the BBQ).
We put sauce on pasta, salad and meat, but what about on vegetables? This Asian Almond Butter Sauce is the perfect pairing for BBQ’d chicken & roast broccoli:
Asian Almond Butter Sauce
Adapted from Nigella Lawson
Ingredients
2 tbsps natural almond butter
½ tsp ginger, finely grated
2 tbsps organic tamari or soy sauce
2 tsps rice vinegar
2 tsps coconut palm sugar
¼ tsp red pepper flakes or chili flakes
2 tbsps cold water
Method
Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over BBQ’d chicken and roast broccoli.
It’s so important to include cancer-fighting veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage in your diet. They are part of the cruciferous family of vegetables and contain the cancer-fighting compound called indole-3 carbinol (I3C). I3C veggies also “affect estrogen metabolism and lead to favorable shifts in hormone markers which in turn may reduce the incidence of several types of cancer. I3C promotes cell death in breast, prostate, endometrium, colon, and white blood cancer cells (1).” They are also very high in fibre and vitamin C, and low in calories.
Do your body good and spice up your broccoli!
Little kid holding two broccoli dumbbells isolated on white background
