Cut & clean
Place broccoli in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cool running water. Unless stalks are
especially tender, cut off the thick base and peel them. Cut heads into florets.
Skip the heat
Raw broccoli is great tossed in salads or in
veggie platters with dips.
Power food
Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamins C
and A, and a good source of folic acid.
For your next salad...
Blanch broccoli in boiling water for two minutes, then drain and rinse immediately with cold
water to capture the color and develop great flavor.
Broccoli can be eaten raw or cooked. Place it in a colander and rinse it thoroughly before
preparing. Unless the stalks are especially tender, cut off the thick base of the stalks and
peel them. Cut the head into florets. Raw broccoli can be used for crudités served with
dips, or can be added to salads. When adding broccoli to cold grain salads, blanch it first by
boiling for just two minutes. Then drain and rinse immediately with cold water. This brightens
the color of the broccoli and develops the flavor.
To cook broccoli, first cut into bite-sized pieces.
To boil
Boil broccoli in lightly salted water until just tender crisp, about four minutes.
To steam
Steam pieces about five minutes and whole stalks of broccoli for about ten minutes, until
tender-crisp.
To sauté
Sauté in olive oil with garlic and herbs until tender-crisp, about ten minutes.
Sautéed broccoli can be tossed with cooked
pasta and sprinkled with Parmesan
cheese.
To microwave
Cook on High for five minutes; then let stand for three minutes before serving.
Flavors that go well with broccoli are
basil, caraway seed, curry powder, dill, fresh lemon juice, herb-infused vinegar,
marjoram, oregano, tarragon, and thyme.
Buying and storing tips
Broccoli is available year-round but is a cool-weather vegetable that is best between
January and March. Broccoli should have a fresh smell, a bright green color, and firm, tender
stalks. Avoid broccoli with yellowing leaves or flower buds, limp stalks or wilting heads, a
pungent odor, or stalks that are thick and woody. Store broccoli unwashed in a perforated
plastic bag in the vegetable crisper. It should be used within a few days of purchase.
Varieties
Only one type of broccoli is generally found in markets, but a few close relatives of this
vegetable are also available. Broccoli rabe has thinner stalks and is leafier, with smaller
bunches of buds. It has a stronger, more bitter flavor, and all of the plant, including its
leaves, is edible. Broccolini is a new vegetable that looks just like regular broccoli except
that the stalks are delicate, with thin stems; the flower buds are also smaller.
Broccoli is available frozen and is sometimes included in frozen vegetable mixes.
Nutrition Highlights
Broccoli (raw), 1 cup (chopped) (88g)
Calories: 30
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrate: 6g
Total Fat: 0g
Fiber: 2g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin C (79mg)
*Good source of: Folic acid (55.44mcg), and Vitamin A (580.80IU)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular
nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good
source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily
Value.
The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes
only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult
your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any
supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications.
Information expires June 2009.
