10/01/2017
Broccoli is my all time favourite vegetable. It is nutritious, I still remember watching a Japanese show talking about how good broccoli is when I was a teenager. It has protein, vitamin C and K amounts other nutrients. Sauté with garlic and onions, make broccoli soup or cheesy broccoli with vegan cheese or nutritional yeast. It is quick to cook if you cook with a little bit of water, and chop the hard stems and let that cook first in a bit of water. Steaming works well too. Make sure you don't overcook, if not the bright green colour will turn yellowish, and lose the nutrients. When shopping for broccoli, always look for blueish green, rather than yellowish green. The later means it has been on the shelf for a while. I keep my greens healthy by wrapping a cloth around it, rather than cling film or plastic bag.
Whole wheat pasta with creamy broccoli
ingredients (serves 4):
200 g brown rice fettuccine noodles or any whole wheat pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 Cup broccoli florets
1/2 Cup shelled edamame
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Cup kale, finely chopped (or any dark leafy greens)
1/4 Cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 Cup pasta water
(Optional) Handful of roasted pine nuts
Chill flakes & lemon juice (if you don't want creamy sauce)
sea salt & pepper to taste
Creamy sauce
Nutritional yeast, follow the instructions on the packaging
or
Cashew nuts two handfuls of cashew nuts
1 carrot
Boil water in a large pot and cook the brown rice fettuccine to al dente (about 8-10 mins) add a teaspoon of salt in the water.
Reserve 1/4 C of pasta water before you drain the noodles. Do not rinse the noodles under water.
While the pasta is cooking heat a large pan to medium heat and sauté onion in olive oil for 2 mins until fragrant. Add in broccoli and edamame and continue cooking for about 5-6 mins. The broccoli should be just cooked through, but don't over cook. It's best when it's still bright green in the dish. Add in kale and garlic and continue to cook for another 3-4 mins. Then turn the heat to low and add in your cooked fettuccine noodles.
Bleach cashew nuts in some water with diced carrot, drained, and blend until smooth in the blender. The carrot adds sweetness to the creamy cashew sauce.
Toss to coat cashew sauce in evenly. Leave it on the heat tossing constantly for another 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle pine nuts and serve immediately.
