My Online Health Articles and Healthy Recipes

Healthy broccoli recipes don’t have to be boring! Our Broccoli Salad and Cooked Garlic and Broccoli recipes prove it.

Before we get to the yummy healthy recipes below, here are the facts about broccoli: Boiled, steamed, stir-fried or raw, broccoli is vitamin-rich, high in fiber, low in calories (45 percent of which is protein) and virtually fat-free. It’s also a great source of calcium, matching the calcium content of milk gram for gram.

Include healthy recipes for broccoli in your meal plans and you’ll be well on your way to reducing your risk of certain cancers (particularly colon cancer and lung cancer), diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease. And as if that weren’t enough, the American Dietetic Association wants you to know that eating broccoli may help you lose weight: Because it’s high in fiber, eating broccoli fills you up without adding extra calories. And speaking of watching your weight, the following salad recipe is a delicious side dish that won’t add inches to your waistline:

Broccoli Salad
Serves 4

• 1 bunch broccoli (cut into florets)
• 2 bunches green onions (diced)
• 1 cup non-fat mayonnaise (nonfat if desired)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar substitute
• ¼ teaspoon each, salt and pepper
• 8 oz. crumbled Feta cheese
• 12-15 black olives (cut in half)
• Bibb or romaine lettuce

1. Wash and prepare broccoli and green onions. Set aside.
2. Mix together mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Pour over vegetables.
4. Add Feta cheese and olives.
5. Toss well and place in refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
6. Serve on lettuce leaves on chilled plates.

The following recipe also is a low-cal way to serve cooked broccoli, and preparation is a snap:

Cooked Broccoli and Garlic
Serves 4

• 1 bunch of broccoli
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ teaspoon cayenne or chili pepper

1. Wash and cut broccoli.
2. Steam in a microwave (about 3-5 minutes) or cook in boiling water (about 10 minutes) until barely tender and still bright green.
3. Finely chop the garlic.
4. Place olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
5. Add salt, then garlic to hot oil.
6. Sauté, stirring frequently, until garlic starts to soften.
7. Add the water, then pepper.
8. Lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
9. Place cooked broccoli in a serving bowl and pour the garlic mixture over it.
10. Mix gently to coat.

Calories: 44 per cup serving

Healthy recipe tip:
As a side-dish vegetable, broccoli is easy to dress up. Stay away from the traditional (although admittedly yummy) cheese sauce if you’re watching your weight. A drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil over cooked broccoli is a tasty way to serve this vegetable without adding extra calories.

Eating broccoli and other dark green vegetables is a good step in the fight against high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. For more health information, do an online search.

We hope you enjoyed these healthy recipes. Here’s wishing you good health!

You might also be interested in these other recipes:

• Asparagus Recipes
• Blueberry Recipes with Antioxidant Power
• Garlic Recipes with Antiviral Power
• Pasta Recipes to Boost Your Immune System
• Recipes to Control Blood Sugar
• Recipes to Help Your Vision
• Recipes to Keep Anemia at Bay

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