Broccoli - the super veggie

I love broccoli. It's filling; it's tasty; it's versatile. And it looks like little trees! Plus, it's one beautiful vegetable, look at the color! The red pepper was gorgeous as well and I couldn't resist getting some wonderful shots of these colorful vegetables.

I was intrigued by the following recipe when I read that the broccoli was to be browned and the red peppers barely blackened. I was anticipating that I would burn both, as I sometimes do in dishes, but I have learned that at our high altitude, it is better to cook items on medium when the recipe calls for medium-high, so they faired well!



There are many, many good things about this recipe, including the short amount of time that it took to cook it, but I wanted to put the spotlight on the green broccoli (as opposed to blue broccoli, you know? Note sarcasm). These little tree stalks are nutrient rich, loaded with Vitamin C (200 % of your daily value), Vitamin K (194% DV), and fiber. This tasty veggie has also been shown to help prevent cancer and detoxify your body with its plethora of phytonutrients. There is so much more to tell about broccoli, but I will leave that for another post about this crunchy veggie.



Rigatoni with Broccoli and Canadian Bacon (from Cooking Light)

2 quarts water
4 ounces rigatoni pasta (I used bow tie)
1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon
3 cups broccoli spears
1 1/3 cups julienned red pepper (1 large red pepper)
4 ounces Canadian Bacon, cut into 1/4" strips
2 minced garlic cloves

Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is "al dente". (I cooked it a little longer, I like my pasta softer.) Set aside in a medium sized bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and cook until browned, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Remove the broccoli from the skillet and set aside.
Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the skillet and add the red bell peppers. Cook until slightly blackened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli back into the skillet. Add in the Canadian bacon and garlic, cooking until warmed, about 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and stir in with the pasta and serve.

Yield
3 Servings (Adjusted, recipe states 5 servings - I say that's a bunch of baloney)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 201
FAT 9.5g (Sat. 1.8g, Poly 1.2g, Mono 5.7g)
CHOLESTEROL 30.3mg
SODIUM 500.3 mg
POTASSIUM 535.9 mg
CARBOHYDRATES 18.4g
FIBER 3.7g
PROTEIN 12.7g

Thyme for more soup!

Okay, I don't normally make soup that often, but apparently I have been on a kick lately! This soup looked quick and indeed, it was. Chop the vegetables, chop the chicken and you are ready to begin!

I was a little nervous about tempering the eggs, even though I have done it for other recipes before, but it turned out really well. No curdling of the eggs occurred in this episode.

So what is so special about this recipe? The thyme, of all things! Thyme has been found not only to be an excellent source of Vitamin K, but it also contains a variety of flavonoids and many antioxidants. Add it to your list of blueberries, pomegranates and green tea as a way to get those cancer preventing enzymes in!














Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

4 tsp. olive oil, divided
8 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
Pinch of salt, plus more to taste
1 med. onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 med. carrot, diced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 cup orzo, preferably whole-wheat
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste


Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot and thyme and cook, stirring over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling.
Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Yield
4 servings
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups

Nutrition Information
CALORIES 280
FAT 10g (sat 2g,mono 6g,poly 1g)
CHOLESTEROL 39mg
SODIUM 291mg
CARBOHYDRATE 22g
FIBER 2g
PROTEIN 26g

Source: Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave" - Love this cookbook!! Have yet to have a bad recipe from it.