Dont Know How To Cook It

[Lister]

was going thru produce today and i desided to add some new stuff to my diet of cucumbers, carrots and lettece so i grabed a couple heads of brocolie.. got them home and realised i have absolutly no clue what to do with them please help want to have them with my chicken tonight

[marciab]

My favorite way to eat brocolli is steamed with S & P and garlic powder. Simple, but yummy.

[Guest nini]

you can simply boil them in water until you can stick a fork through them or steam them with a basket steamer (if you don't have one, get one they are really cheap at the grocery store) you can stir fry them with a little veg. oil if you want or you can eat them raw.

[Carriefaith]

I like broccoli in oil and put spices on top. Try basil, pepper, parsley, ect. A little soy sauce is nice too.

[Lister]

im about to cook some chicken, could i throw the brocoli in the same pan with the lid? or would it make me sick from the chicken blood

[Michi8]

im about to cook some chicken, could i throw the brocoli in the same pan with the lid? or would it make me sick from the chicken blood

Cook the chicken first and remove it. Then cook the broccoli in the same pan (maybe add some carrot, snowpeas and onion for a good stirfry...and add sauce/spice at this point too!) Finally add the chicken back in to reheat w/veggies.

Michelle

[Lister]

should i clean the pan between the chicken and the veggies?

[Michi8]

should i clean the pan between the chicken and the veggies?

No need to. The flavour of the chicken will mix nicely with the broccoli (and the juices have been fully cooked at this point, so it is safe.)

[tarnalberry]

You don't even have to take the chicken out, just add the broccolli in after the chicken's partially done (so that there's about five minutes left, and the broccolli has been cut up a bit). It won't make you sick, because you're cooking the chicken through (and hence killing any dangerous bacteria in the chicken).

[gfp]

I like broccoli in oil and put spices on top. Try basil, pepper, parsley, ect. A little soy sauce is nice too.

sounds nice but I wouldn't recommend it for lister atm.....

another nice way is frying with bacon...

you can simply boil them in water until you can stick a fork through them or steam them with a basket steamer (if you don't have one, get one they are really cheap at the grocery store) you can stir fry them with a little veg. oil if you want or you can eat them raw.

Yep and you can always improvide a steamer with a metal (not plastic) seive ....

Lister...

Good on ya.... this sounds like a better and healthier diet

Steaming is really good because you don't loose the vitamins into the water

But also think about stuff like cabbage etc.

Ive said it before but you can buy a lot of chicken offcuts very cheap... thighs and drumsticks etc.

Its almost waste because so many people only want breasts....so its REAL CHEAP...

But on top of this its got more flavor and the bones and stuff are full of nutrients....especially ones celaics need.

You can for instance buy a 6 pack of thighs (or drumsticks) and stick em in a big pan and boil them skin and all after a quick rince...

After about 1/2 hr pull them out and the meat just falls off.

BUT... don't throw it away... 6 legs is a lot of meat.... so you can have 6 different meals AND you can still use all the nutrients in the pan.

Pull the meat off and refrigerate.... EVERYTHING else back in the pan and cook a good hour.

This is chicken stock... it will improve adding a few vegetables but you can use stuff like peel and carrot heads... celery tops etc. etc.

Again this stuff is FREE..... boil it in and then strain it into tupperware through a seive.

To make this into a chicken soup all you need to do is take a soup sized serving and stick it back in a pan.

To this you can add vegetables (the rest of the carrots for instance) .. and stuff like rice will soak in the flavor and thicken it up into a meal by itself.... (perfect for your growling tummy) you can add cabbage (and the hard bit can be put in the stock) and throw in some of the meat....

you can also take a cup full of stock and a bit of corn starch already dissolved in water and make a chicken gravy....just by stirring it in and heating. (add a bit of salt)...

The extra chicken can be used in chicken salads... etc.

[Guest nini]

just a hint when storing the chicken broth that you make, pour it into ice cube trays, freeze and then transfer to a gallon sized freezer bag, label it with a Sharpie so you don't forget what it is, and then when you need broth for something just pull out a few cubes and add to what you are cooking or heat up for a quick soup.

[gfp]

just a hint when storing the chicken broth that you make, pour it into ice cube trays, freeze and then transfer to a gallon sized freezer bag, label it with a Sharpie so you don't forget what it is, and then when you need broth for something just pull out a few cubes and add to what you are cooking or heat up for a quick soup.

Excellent.... I used to make stufflike this for my girlfriend when she was studying abroad and i visited and she froze it in tupperware... and you needed an icepick to defrost...lumps ...

Lister.... you can add the broth to allsorts.(not just soup).. even just cooking plain rice and if you do it nini's way you just drop a couple of cubes in! and you can as suggested earlier cook vegetables in it...

[Guest nini]

I've started doing that ice cube tray trick with most of my leftovers, it is really a big time saver and I don't end up with a lot of wasted food or frozen lumps of whatever that if you thaw ALL of it, some of it ends up being wasted.

[queenofhearts]

Way to go Lister! Broccoli is one of the healthiest things you can eat! My all time favorite is steamed broccoli with Chinese-style peanut sauce, but that is pretty spicy so you should probably wait until your tummy heals a bit. I'd highly recommend broccoli soup for you. If you can tolerate onions, sautee some lightly, add broccoli & water or better yet some of that chicken broth, cook until broccoli is mushy, then whirl in blender & season. It can be thickened with a roux, but probably better for you would be to throw in some cooked rice or potato for the thickening. I'm thinking you're off dairy, but if not you can add some milk. Bring the temp. back up, season to taste & you'll have a very nourishing, very digestible soup.

I'm so glad you are working to improve your diet! It will help you so much. Carrots are quite nutritious, but lettuce & cukes are mainly water so don't contribute nearly so many vitamins & minerals.

Leah

[tarnalberry]

I'm so glad you are working to improve your diet! It will help you so much. Carrots are quite nutritious, but lettuce & cukes are mainly water so don't contribute nearly so many vitamins & minerals.

Leah

if it's not iceburg lettuce (which really is mostly just water), however, it can still be a decent source of vitamins. looseleaf lettuce and romaine lettuce are good sources of leafy greens vitamins - paritcularly K.

[Michi8]

if it's not iceburg lettuce (which really is mostly just water), however, it can still be a decent source of vitamins. looseleaf lettuce and romaine lettuce are good sources of leafy greens vitamins - paritcularly K.

Spinach is even better, and makes a great salad. My favourite salad: Spinach with broccoli, strawberries, mushrooms, red peppers and toasted almonds with a poppyseed dressing. You can also make a warm spinach salad with bacon and egg slices.

Michelle

[queenofhearts]

if it's not iceburg lettuce (which really is mostly just water), however, it can still be a decent source of vitamins. looseleaf lettuce and romaine lettuce are good sources of leafy greens vitamins - paritcularly K.

Very true... & the mixed greens with spinach, arugula &c. are even better-- but more expensive so I was guessing Lister was getting the watery stuff. At any rate, broccoli is a still more concentrated source of K.

Broccoli: Open Original Shared Link

Lettuce: Open Original Shared Link

[Michi8]

You don't even have to take the chicken out, just add the broccolli in after the chicken's partially done (so that there's about five minutes left, and the broccolli has been cut up a bit). It won't make you sick, because you're cooking the chicken through (and hence killing any dangerous bacteria in the chicken).

I take the chicken out because it's easier to cook the veggies without over cooking the chicken that way...especially if you're cooking quite a few veggie ingredients...it also makes a difference as to which veggies get added when (some veggies take longer to cook than others.)

Michelle

[jerseyangel]

another nice way is frying with bacon...

Can you share your recipe? That sounds really good

[gfp]

Very true... & the mixed greens with spinach, arugula &c. are even better-- but more expensive so I was guessing Lister was getting the watery stuff. At any rate, broccoli is a still more concentrated source of K.

Broccoli: Open Original Shared Link

Lettuce: Open Original Shared Link

Also brocolli has more calories and Lister needs calories....

Can you share your recipe? That sounds really good biggrin.gif

I just did! Seriously just as a tasty way to add brasiccas (works with cabbage too)

Just dice the bacon and I usually cut off the fat but leave it in the pan in as big pieces as possible (to take out) and fry up... you can add some stock as well....

Also works with cooked lentils....

Spinach is even better

Well its certainly very nice.... i like to cook it in just the water used to wash it... just shake dry and cook very low heat until its all wilted and the water more or less gone then add either sesame oil and some seeds or more bacon and pine nuts...

[jerseyangel]

Thanks, Steve. I am going to try doing that. I seriously could eat bacon every day

[Nancym]

I love a bit of lemon, butter (or olive oil) and salt & pepper on broccoli.

[daffadilly]

I let my chicken broth cool, then pour 1 cup in a baggie & freeze. you can freeze them flat, takes up little room.

When I bring the veggies home from the market, as I am prepping them, everything is well washed etc, I put a pot of water on the stove & throw in all the veggie pieces like the ends of the onions - peels & all, the ends of the celery, the end of any green beans, the outer cabbage leaves, all the veggie scraps etc then I boil till all is cooked, strain, discard veggie scraps, let broth cool, freze in baggies in one cup portions.

For a handy mix for salad, potato salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, chicken salad or to add to spaghetti sauce, or stir fry: I chop up the following -

1 bunch celery

1 bunch green onions

2 large carrots grated

1 or 2 bell peppers - which ever colors I have

I dry the veggies with a paper towel & blot out any excess moisture after chopped up (usually the bell peppers are watery)

I store this in a tupperware container with a Bounty paper towel on top to absorb the moisture.

This will keep almost a week, when I open the container I replace the damp paper towel & wipe the moisture off the lid.

To make a chef salad in 5 minutes, I get out the greens, pour on some chopped veggies, chop a tomato or add the grape tomatoes, add any leftover meat or lunch meat, chop a boiled egg, add jicama or other veggie not in your mix, like broccoli, sprinkle on nuts - enjoy!

Broccoli - I like eating it raw in a salad or dipped in creamy italian dressing

Broccoli - I do not throw away the stems - I either cook in veggie broth above OR, peel the tough outer layer (throw in veggie broth pan) then take the peeled stems and slice into little discs, cook in water till just tender, drain, pour italian dressing over, or season to taste, serve hot as a side dish or cold as a side dish or cold as a topping for tossed salad. I served this at the office one day (we were eating a lot of raw broccoli & I had too many stems to toss out) and everyone loved it.

Cheap easy dressing for dipping veggies: take some Kraft Miracle whip salad dressing & mix some heinz ketchup in with it - I use a little more mayo than ketchup, add your favorite blend of herb seasonings, or garlic salt. To kick it up a notch to fancy, you can add a minced hard boiled egg & pickle relish.

As a kid we called this thousand island dressings, we ate it on our tomatoes and other veggies from the garden. We were too poor to afford lettuce

To keep your grapes fresh for about 2 weeks, I wash them & pat/shake dry, put in paper towel lined tupperware container. If your grapes are not crunchy fresh to start with, sometimes this treatment will make them crunchy.

I store my leaf lettuce & kale & spinach the same way, wrapped in a bounty paper towel in tupperware.

hope these hints are helpful

[Sweetfudge]

I love broccoli and I will chop it up real small (stems and all) and boil it until it's nice and soft. My favorite way to eat it right now is to serve it with some scorched butter on top. Yum!

Thx for all the chicken and broth tips, I'm gonna work that into my cooking habits!

[Guest ~jules~]

I'm going with steamed all the way. Its the best way to eat it in my opinion, also throw it in a pan with other veggies and meat, theres your stir fry. (lid on) Beware, if you aren't used to eating it broccoli is infamous for GAS in my house so watchout!