Simple Broccoli Rice
This simple and delicious broccoli recipe is; easy to make, low in calories, gluten free, paleo and diabetic friendly. It makes a fantastic alternative to rice and actually tastes amazing too. It’s the perfect quick and easy, healthy side dish.
Serve with my scrummy chicken and sweet potato curry
Did you know that the broccoli is a product of human selection and there are no wild breeds in nature? This green vegetable is a man-made innovation representing the selection result of Brassica oleracea, the common cabbage. In the course of the selection which started around 6 BC, broccoli made its way onto our plates and was commonly consumed throughout the Mediterranean almost 1000 years ago. The name broccoli originates from the Latin word brachium meaning “hand”. Later it transformed into Italian as broccolo which is applied to its green sprouts, which some think resemble little hands, while others think it looks like tree branches sprouting from an edible stalk.
Cultivated in Italy since Roman times, broccoli was first introduced in England by the end of 17th century and thereafter was brought to America by the English colonists. But it only became relatively popular at the beginning of the 20th century, partly due to the activity of the Seventh-Day Adventists Church propagating the vegetarian way of eating. Later, after discovering the role of vitamins within human nutrition, it was revealed that Broccoli is actually one of the most nutrient rich green vegetables, especially in pro-vitamin A carotenoids, pantothenates, biotin and folic acid. The latter was found to be essential for fertile function and pregnancy. Thus, raw broccoli when added to a spring mix-type salad is a great option to boost your vitamins in the most natural and digestible form.
Being usually picked before opening, the edible, clustered green flower buds of the broccoli should be kept in cool conditions to prevent flowering. It’s actually better to keep the broccoli head in the fridge, unwashed and in a ventilated package for no more than five days. The best way to get nutritional benefits of the broccoli is to eat it raw or undercooked. In Italy such slightly cooked veggies are usually called al-dente which means “to be firm to the bite”.
So you may be wondering why we used the word “rice” in the recipe’s name? The answer reveals the additional benefits of the Brassica family. Broccoli, just like the common cabbage, contains a lot of dietary fibres enabling it to swell up and absorb when simmered in water. So the effect of this is that the finely chopped broccoli sprouts behave in a similar way to rice and somehow look like bright green cooked rice seeds. Dietary fibres are well-known for their ability to enhance and improve digestion by relieving the food passage through the gut. Additionally they may absorb a variety of harmful substances from the food that you eat. Indigestible dietary fibres bind toxins and take them out the gut. Moreover, some beneficial bacteria living in the human gut may increase vitamin production being readily absorbed by the human body. Nevertheless the microbiota of some people reacts too actively to these fibres which may result in increased gas production. So you should work out for yourself what daily quantity of these fibrous veggies is the right amount for you. You’ll be pleased to know that Broccoli is a common ingredient in a wide range of diets including those who are making conscious dietary decisions like being a vegetarian or vegan as well as for specific treatment type diets like gluten-free or DASH diets.
Add some broccoli nice into your recipe rice, your body will thank you for it.
If you’re not a fan of broccoli then you could try my delicious and healthy cauliflower rice recipe instead.
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Serves
4
Prep
5 mins
Cook
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
Dietary
DF, GF, VEG, V
Ingredients:
1 broccoli
Method:
1. Chop the broccoli then add to a food processor and pulse until you get a rice like consistency (you can also grate the broccoli if you don't have a food processor)
2. Microwave for 5 mins!
