Eat More Broccoli

Never a fan of broccoli, eating it has always been an issue -- something done actively to repent for any sins committed. Broccoli has an acquired taste -- a strong flavor that overwhelms any other ingredient in a recipe, except thick cheesy sauce. While broccoli with cheese sauce is tasty, it moves broccoli out of the health food category and into the heart-attack category. Broccoli salad was always somewhat eatable, yet the mayo in the recipe removed some of broccoli's value. A new recipe from the American Institute for Cancer Research offers broccoli with olive oil, orange juice and rice vinegar -- certainly lower in calorie then the popular mayo version. The recipe follows:

Spring Broccoli Salad

2 cups broccoli florets (or fresh green beans, if desired)
1/4 cup purple onion, diced
1/4 cup yellow pepper, diced
1/4 cup pimento peppers, diced
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/8 tsp. dried marjoram
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Steam the broccoli for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is bright green. Transfer broccoli to a medium bowl. Add the onion, yellow pepper and pimento.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice concentrate, rice vinegar, garlic, parsley, marjoram, salt, pepper and cayenne. Toss the dressing with the broccoli. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 60 calories, 3.5 g total fat (<1>

This version of broccoli salad is eatable, even tasty, with the addition of 1/2 cup raisins, reminiscent of the traditional broccoli salad. The salad was prepared and chilled, and offered for dinner. Husband loved it, Law School Boy Jack, on the other hand, eager to try new things, took a huge spoonful, chewed for a few minutes, then left the room to empty his mouth. Returning, he offered, "It just didn't do it for me." Apparently eating broccoli is an acquired taste that is far greater then his almost 25 years.

Photo attribution: AICR