Produce Spotlight: Garlic
Another superfood from the cruciferous family, Italian green broccoli is the kind we most commonly find in our grocery stores & recognize as the healthy little “trees” on our dinner plates. This nutrient dense veggie is especially rich in vitamin A, and is a great source of vitamins K, C, B9, fiber & vegetable based protein. Broccoli is also rich in lutein & sulforaphane which both have anticancer properties, particularly affecting gastric & breast cancers in addition to macular degeneration.
There are a few veggies out there related closely to broccoli: broccolini, which is a hydrid of broccoli & kale; broccoflower, which as the name suggests is a hybrid of broccoli & cauliflower; and broccoli sprouts, which simply are the sprouted seeds of the broccoli plant being great in sandwiches, wraps or salads. All of these cousins have very similar nutritional profiles & are great to add into anybody’s diet! While broccoli is available year round at the grocery store, watch for it in the coming weeks at our farmers market!
Raw broccoli makes a great dipping veggie for hummus and is tasty when lightly steamed as well. The stalk takes a bit longer to cook, so toss it in the steamer tray a few minutes before the florets go in- or eat it raw! Boiling or overcooking broccoli drains it of its nutrition. Give this Veggie Power Salad from Meghan Telpner’s blog a try at a summer picnic or barbeque soon!
Veggie Power Salad
- 1 cup quinoa (uncooked) + 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 15oz can organic chickpeas
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomato
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1/2 zucchini, cut in strips or spiralized
- 3 cups broccoli, steamed
- 4 leaves of kale, shredded
- 1/2 cup apple, cut into shoe string slices
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2/3 lemon, juiced (or 2-3 Tbs)
- 3 Tbs tamari
- 2 tsp dry oregano
- sea salt to taste
Directions
Soak quinoa for 2 hours and then rinse thoroughly using a sieve until water runs dry.
Cook quinoa in water- bringing to a boil and reducing to simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
While quinoa is cooking, rinse chickpeas and allow to drain. Transfer to large mixing bowl.
Combine all the vegetables and apple with the chickpeas
Once grains are cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Add grains, seeds and mix well.
Dressing
In a medium size mason jar, mix all ingredients together and shake.
Add dressing to salad and toss thoroughly.
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