Is there a vegetable that you really hate? Just can’t stand?
That’s how I always felt about broccoli. I could never stand the texture of the florets, the smell, the flavor. No broccoli for Becky! It did not matter if the green demon was slathered in cheese sauce or dipped in dressing, I stayed away. It was such a common vegetable, too. Restaurants always offer steamed broccoli as a healthy side and it turns up in so many dishes from stir fry to pasta. I couldn’t get away from it!
Lately, I decided to give broccoli a second chance. I started slow, adding raw broccoli to my salads. When that tasted OK, I tried it as a pizza a topping. Not so bad! Hmmm…maybe I don’t hate broccoli?!
Tonight I got really brave. Dinner included broccoli in all of its steamed glory.
Chicken Broccoli Quinoa – serves four
Ingredients:
- 1 c. quinoa, uncooked
- 1 c. organic, low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 c. water
- 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cubed
- 1 T. garlic grapeseed oil – Olive oil would work, too.
- 1 T. minced garlic
- 4 heads of fresh broccoli – or one package of frozen broccoli
- 1/4 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Combine quinoa, chicken stock, and water in a pan and bring to a boil, uncovered. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low for about 10 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
- Cut and wash broccoli florets. Place broccoli in a microwave safe dish with 2 T. water. Cover and steam in microwave for 3 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat.
- Add garlic to pan and saute until fragrant.
- Add chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cook thoroughly.
- During the last minutes of cooking, add broccoli to the chicken mixture. Allow it to absorb some of that garlicky goodness!
- When chicken mixture is done, combine with quinoa and parmesan cheese.
- Mix and serve!
I ate broccoli!
Alright…I didn’t eat that much broccoli…but I did eat this…
and it was delicious! I loved it. The garlic, the cheese, and the quinoa complimented my new friend so nicely. I really enjoyed it. I’ve heard that certain foods take many tastings before you learn to love them. Maybe that’s the story of Beck and broccoli.
Did you know…
- Broccoli is very high in many vitamins and minerals – Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium, Folacin, Iron.
- Broccoli is a high-fiber food – great for digestion!
- Broccoli contains as much calcium, ounce per ounce, as milk.
- Boiling can break down the nutrients in broccoli. Stir fry or steam this veggie to optimize the nutritional value.
I am so glad I can add another healthy veggie to my crisper….and another recipe to my Food Fun page!
What’s your favorite/least favorite vegetable?
GAAH… beets. brussels sprouts.
I love broccoli, and wish I could get Jason to love it… he says he can eat it raw, but I end up eating it all…
Mushrooms! Blech! I love broccoli though
I eat broccoli almost every day! Ha! Celery is the only veg I don’t like, really…
Yummm this looks great! I love most vegetables… for some reason I really dislike snow peas though and always pick them out of stirfries!
I L-O-V-E broccoli. And I don’t even need to dump a can of parm cheese to enjoy it
One veggie I just CANNOT get down with is brussel sprouts. No way, Jose! The texture freaks me out!
Becky have you tried roasted broccoli??? It might change your life, I mean, it might change the way you feel about broccoli in that you will end up loving it!
Toss with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 450 until the edges are brown and crispy and caramelized (maybe 45 minutes or so). I swear, it tastes much, much better than steamed or raw or sauteed!
I could not live without broccoli. It’s very versatile and goes in anything or with anything. I agree with the comments that roasted broccoli will change your opinion totally.
i actually really like broccoli but my body, er, does not. so i must stay away. think the only vegetable i don’t like the taste of is beets. something about the smell.. other than that, most of my meals revolve around veggies (except breakfast. cereal is the best!)
Broccoli makes my heart so happy, so I’m glad you like it. It’s easily in my top 3 veggies. I don’t like beats. Or parsnips! Ick, ick, ick!!!!!!!!
Yay for learning to like broccoli!! I used to think I hated zuchinni but now I like it alot. Funny how that works. I can’t think of a vegetable that I don’t like ……
I like broccoli ok…my least favorite veggies is probably okra. It always turns out slimy and gross! Yuck.
My favorite veggie is probably carrots. I like them raw, cooked, in stir-fries, in pasta, anything.
It took me awhile to come around, but now I love brocool-ie. Little Parmesan on top, mmm. I am still not a fan of eggplant.
I would have to say that as much as I would like to love them, beets and eggplants make me a tad nauseous.
Glad you found a way to enjoy broccoli. It certainly looks delicious to me. Then again, it is one of my favorites.
There are two veggies I simply won’t eat. One is asparagus. I used to love it, but had to eat so much of it for competition prep that I still can’t stomach it. The other is okra. I can’t do the slimy texture. It makes me gag.
Congrats! Anything tastes better with cheese doesn’t it? I think my least fave veggie might be asparagus. I love brussel sprouts, have you tried them yet?
[...] A Broccoli Story [...]
Sometimes I really like broccoli, and other times, like last night, it makes my stomach turn a little. Can’t eat it raw, except maybe in a salad. Love roasted cauliflower, but can’t eat it raw either. Weird, right? Also, HATE HATE HATE brussels sprouts. They literally make me gag.
Really like how this recipe looks. Thanks for sharing!
[...] you sick of my broccoli yet? I bet Beck is cringing as she reads [...]
[...] A Broccoli Story | Beck On The Run [...]
[...] to Shake ‘N Bake, Rice-A-Roni, and pizza has expanded. My loves have graciously dined on quinoa, black beans, and plenty of stir fried [...]