Don’t Throw These Away
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Eat Your Broccoli!
Broccoli stems! Don’t throw them away. How many of you broccoli eaters cut the stems off and throw them away? Don’t do it! The stems are loaded with nutrients, protein, calcium and fiber; and they are just as nutritious as the broccoli crown. But what can we do with them?? Broccoli stems can be pureed into a soup, shaved into a salad, thinly sliced in a slaw OR my favorite recipe, made into a broccoli pesto sauce to go over pasta, potatoes, grilled or roasted veggies.
- 3-4 broccoli stems, washed and cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, add until desired consistency
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- dash of cayenne pepper
- 1 cup fresh arugula
- 1 tbsp dried basil OR 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Combine all ingredients (besides the olive oil) into the food processor and mix until combined. Add olive oil and process until desired consistency. ENJOY!! BONUS! If you did not know, I am a bit of a food nerd 🙂 So here are some nerdy broccoli facts for you:
- 1 cup of broccoli has as much vitamin C as an orange
- Thomas Jefferson was a huge fan of broccoli, importing the seeds from Italy to plant at Monticello. He planted the vegetable there as early as May of 1767.
- 90% of our broccoli in the US comes from California
- The average American eats 4lbs of broccoli per year (clearly I am not average)
- Broccoli contains the flavonoid (plant pigments that have antioxidant effects on the body when consumed) kaempferol. Kaempferol is an anti-inflammatory and helps fight against cancer and heart disease.
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