I just love to eat broccoli and thankfully so does my family. Broccoli
is rich in dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants and can help prevent some forms of cancer. Are you sold on broccoli yet ?
We try to grow as much broccoli as we can to save money and to have it often with our main meal Unfortunately supermarkets charge as much as $8 kilo when it's out of season. That's when it stays on the shelf. When it's cheap we buy lots to blanch and freeze for future use.
Another way to make the most of broccoli is to use the stem. Cut or peel the outer layer off as it's quite tough. Dice the stem into small pieces. It can be frozen in freezer bags or containers and used in stews, soups and casseroles. It makes a great substitute for celery. If you are making a vegetable soup, put the whole stem into the soup pot and cook for about an hour. Blend with a stick blender for extra goodness you can't see.
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| Scraps at the top for the compost, Diced at the bottom for the freezer |
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| Blanched and ready to freeze |
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| Home grown. |
We use so much broccoli too Wendy and the whole family does. I cant understand anyone who doesn't given the health benefits plus its yummy.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree... when we buy it it is that stick section that weighs the most. To throw it out would be throwing out most of what we just paid for! The whole lot makes wonderful soup. I made a broccoli soup that I serve with cream and cheese.
The prices go up and down here wildly, $8 a kilo one week, $2 the next. I stock up when the price is down and we eat masses of it.
I make a cauliflower cheese and use half broccoli and half cauli then the cheese sauce etc. This is yum and I make a big lot at once so we might have it as the side dish for three nights. Really good with a roast too.
Last week the price was high, I will have a look today and see. xxx
Wendy broccoli was $1.99 at Woolies! (update) xx
ReplyDeleteWe love broccoli too and it's so good for you! And definitely agree with making the most of all of it. Tina xx
ReplyDeleteHello Wendy,
ReplyDeleteThis is a timely reminder to buy some broccoli seedlings to put out in my garden.
I don't usually buy the broccoli in the fruit and veg section, I buy frozen from Coles. It is Australian grown and I am not paying for the stem and the price mostly stays the same, unless it is on special. The price doesn't fluctuate like the one on the shelf. However when I grow my own I do use every little bit including the stem. I freeze like you do and pop it into stews etc. My chooks get the leafy greens from the plants and love them!
Hope you have a lovely week,
God Bless,
xTania
Thanks Wendy, I'm going to blanche some this morning. Do you do the same for cauliflower stalks?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Maureen
If I'm making a soup I throw the cauli stalk in.
DeleteThanks Wendy! Ill also be blanching some today.
ReplyDeleteAre you not doing a post today? Jodie
No, not today. I've changed the days to Mon, Wed and Sat with the odd extra one thrown in every now and then.
DeleteWe love broccoli and your tip on what to do with the stems is awesome!
ReplyDeletelove broccoli as well, use it to make a cheese and broccoli quiche. May make one tonight as I have a bunch in the freezer. Got it on sale for $1 CDN a bunch last week,
ReplyDeleteHi wendy,
ReplyDeleteGreat tip for people that never thought to use the stem :)
My mum has been doing this since I was a child and I've learnt that off her, I do it for myself and the kids too.
I also like to utilise every bit of veg at work so I've been doing it at work as well although a lot of the other chefs don't do it, I just see it as less wastage on food scrap and money spendings
I never thought about doing it to cauliflower though. Thanks Maureen for suggesting that :)
Anne
Cheese and broccoli quiche yum!! Thanks for these specials Wendy. On another note, funny as the price of Magnums seem to be going done, but my partner pointed out the other night (in horror!) that they have absolutely gotten smaller. Geez these brands are cheeky!! Tina xx
ReplyDeleteI love broccoli and your tip inspired me the purchase some on a good deal and freeze it, never did that before. On a funny note, when my now-38 year old daughter was about 3 years old she loved broccoli, but just the top part. Once my mother urged her to eat the stem, saying "that's the best part", my daughter replied, "no, those are the handles." Love it. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know which cancers it helps prevent.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I found on many websites -
DeleteAll cruciferous veggies (think cauliflower, cabbage, kale) contain cancer-fighting properties, but broccoli is the only one with a sizable amount of sulforaphane, a particularly potent compound that boosts the body's protective enzymes and flushes out cancer-causing chemicals,
I had a friend who had bladder or bowel cancer years ago and this is what the Cancer Council of Victoria told him.
I eat the brocolli stalk raw. It's so yummy, while I'm cooking :) and I chop it and share it with my hubby and son.
ReplyDelete