Recipe

Blooming Broccoli Is December's Pick of the Month

By Ian Rollins

Broccoli would be a great addition to your holiday salads and meals. It can be steamed and eaten by itself, or it can be cut up and added to your salads and pasta. It’s also great when eaten raw with some healthy dip!

Pick up some broccoli today from your local grocery store or farm stand.

What’s so great about broccoli?

  • Broccoli is a ‘super’ food!
  • It’s an excellent source of vitamins C and K
  • It’s also a good source of folate, dietary fiber and vitamins A and B6
  • Broccoli is fat-free and low in calories

What’s the best way to eat broccoli?

  • Roast broccoli with olive oil and add parmesan cheese, nuts, or lemon juice
  • Add broccoli to your salads, pasta dishes, or eat as a side
  • Eat broccoli raw or with a fat-free dip

Selection & Preparation

  1. Select tender, dark green stalks.
  2. Store in a loose bag in the refrigerator, unwashed, for three to five days.
  3. Use cold water to rinse broccoli before cooking or eating.
  4. Roast, steam, sauté, boil or eat broccoli raw.

Roasted Lemon Broccoli

Recipe from Athena Nofziger, clinical dietitian at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital

Ingredients

3 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets and stems
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice or to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, toss the broccoli florets with extra virgin olive oil, pepper and salt. Spread out in even layer on a baking sheet.
Bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees F, flipping broccoli about halfway through. Squeeze lemon juice over broccoli before serving.

Makes six 1/2-cup servings.

Nutrition information per serving:

  • Calories: 35
  • Carbohydrate: 3g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Fat: 2.5g
  • Protein: 1g
  • Sodium: 210mg