Broccoli ?!
Broccoli ?
hiya i am on a diet and i really enjoy broccolli by its self i was just wondering what else i could add to it to give it some extra flavour ??
eg. sweetcorn, spices, ham etc ?
i dont really want any other kind of veg in there as i enjoy the flavour of it by itself
so any ideas ??
it has to be extreamly low in calories !! and very healthy !
thanxs xx
Answers:
Hi!
Broccoli makes a really good vegetable for dipping if you cook it very lightly so it's still crunchy. Possible dip suggestions:
- low fat/diet vinaigrette
- Thousand Island dressing
- Total (tm) 0% fat yoghurt, perhaps seasoned with Aromat or another seasoning powder, or black pepper, paprika/cayenne, maybe curry powder or even a little nutmeg if you want to ring the changes
- Balsamic vinegar - bit of a wow factor!
- Light soy sauce
- a poached egg if the pieces are small enough.
I also recommend tossing it in a little melted half-fat butter and some black pepper - a little goes a very long way, or grating a little Parmesan cheese over it. That adds flavour without the calories of a cheese sauce.
Have you considered stir-frying with a very little oil, some soy sauce, and a sliced garlic clove, then serving sprinkled with sesame seeds? Adds a chinese-y edge to it, stops it getting boring.
Maybe you could add broccoli florets to a clear chicken or vegetable soup to make it more interesting. Why not make Broccoli soup? Traditionally Stilton is added to this at the end or when serving, and you don't need much, but for really low cal just leave it out. If you're cooking for other people this could be a winner.
Dry fry a little finely chopped onion and bacon or ham, maybe some mushrooms, and mix with broccoli and pasta.
A small piece of advice: Try to deviate from broccoli every now and then, especially if you're cooking for other people. Maybe try cauliflower, or if you're stirfrying or dipping go for green beans or peppers. You'll enjoy it more and there won't be comments about is this all you can cook...
Good luck!
Hot spicy ranch?!?!?!
maybe the tomatoes u were on about earlier
bacon bits made with soya sprinkled on it give it a lovely bacon flavour. Add some soya cheese grated. Chop soya meats up you get them from Holland & Barrett mostly.
Check the link out below for a load of recipe idea's. Just adapt them to a more healthy one if they seem a bit unhealthy. Like using Soya Cream instead of cream or creme fraische etc.
Try eating it with hummus. I like the red pepper kind. Or ranch, onion dip, cheese, or cook it with soy sauce.
try it with a light vinaigrette, whatever kind you like:
balsamic, italian, lemon juice, etc.
broccoli is also great with cheese, why not add some low-fat cheese and melt it on top?
Chicken and broccoli lasagne!mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
cauliflower
well, try to add some carrots, or potatoes.. or try to cook pasta with broccoli, so that you get carbohydrates too, without starving ('cos if I ate just broccoli...Oh God ,I'd go straight to the hospital for lack of energy!!!)
In a separate pan put some olive oil (quite a lot) with a small piece of garlic...when the oil is very hot remove the garlic and put some small pieces of white bread...wait that the bread become brown (not too much and not too few) then switch off the pan with the oil and put it on the broccoli...stir for a while and mix broccoli with the fried bread then eat....
Bring water to a boil or Steam
Add broccoli for about 60 -90sec.
Strain, leaving Broc in Pan
add a spat or two of But er(sub a teaspoon of olive oil)
add a touch of salt (Sea salts best)
pepper to taste
for a bit of variety add some crushed garlic.
toss the broc and serve
I've won over some No Broccoli Folk with this...
Bon Appetite
Steam it in some seasoned water/stock.
You can buy low fat cheese and melt some on top of the broccoli. I buy low fat cheese whiz, microwave it until it's melted, and spoon it over broccoli.
This is good with cauliflower too.
Here's an idea.
Try a broccoli soup!
You'll need:
Water
Salt
Black pepper
2 heads Broccoli very fresh
Olive oil optional, for garnish
Cut the florets off the heads of broccoli. Cut the stems into similarly sized pieces. Add all of the broccoli -- florets and stems -- into a pot of rapidly-boiling, salted water (2 tablespoons salt in 5 quarts of water). Cover. Cook 3.5 to 4 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, put the cooked broccoli pieces into a blender. Fill blender about halfway with cooking liquid. Blend carefully since it's hot. Add more cooking liquid as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Check seasonings.
If desired, add cheese (goat cheese or cheddar cheese) to the bottom of the bowl before pouring the soup in. Serve, drizzled with olive oil if desired.
My favourite way is to boil it in salted water. Once cooked drain it and add some olive oil. Put it in the fridge to cool and then add lemon.
I like cheese with mine(hello, that is how my mom got us to eat it), but you can try some sunflower seeds or almonds, for something different, We used to put it in a pocket bread with cheese(shredded, motz and cheddar) and ham. I have had potatoes, broccoli and cheese, that is yummy. but if you don't want to use other veggies, i would say try different seeds or nuts, what ever kind you prefer.
just a splash of lime with seasame seeds and a tiny amount of chilli