Double Sesame Broccoli

This week our Power Food is broccoli.  Each week, we choose a recipe based on the power food which comes from the book, Power Foods, 150 delicious recipes with the 38 healthiest ingredients from the editors of Whole Living magazine.

Broccoli is a favorite food in our home.  It is rewarding to eat food, we enjoy and know we are getting health benefits from it.  It is high in fiber, calcium rich and has Vitamins A and C.  It is a fighter of cancer and other health hazards.  It seems to me that the vegetables from the cabbage family such as broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy are quite a variety and from all of these, broccoli wins in the benefits department.

When it came to selecting a recipe, it was difficult.  Broccoli does beautifully in a stir fry.  It is delicious plain or with a little garlic and butter.  I make a kugel out of it, sometimes mixing in cauliflower.  I think broccoli is pretty and I love to steam it and add it to a salad.  I make a mean broccoli cheese soup.  Finding a recipe meant eliminating many delicious and nutritious dishes.  I decided to make it simple although, just his week, I used broccoli in a number of dishes including a pasta dish, a salad and a stir fry.  There is something about roasting vegetables that make them better than with any sauce.

Double Sesame Broccoli    

2 – 3 cups broccoli florets

1 1/2 T. olive oil

2 T.  lemon juice

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 pinch sugar

1 1/2 tbsp oil

1 tsp. sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Cut broccoli bunch in half lengthwise.

Toss with olive oil and place on cookie sheet.

Cook broccoli in oven turning occasionally with tongs – 10 to 12 minutes

Dressing: While broccoli is roasting place lemon juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger,  sugar and oil in a blender or small food processor. Blend until smooth.

When the broccoli has finished roasting, transfer to a serving dish and pour the dressing over the broccoli.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

The beauty of this dish is that you can serve it with anything.  Salmon, chicken  or tofu would pair beautifully with the broccoli.

Check out the other Power Food cooks and see what they did with the bell pepper.  Mireya is the originator of the group.  If you are interested in participating, please contact her.  My Healthy Eating Habits,  

Alyce - More Time at the Table                       Ansh - Spice Roots,           Casey - Bookcase Foodie  – Me           Jeanette -Jeanette’s Healthy Living          Jill - Saucy Cooks             Martha - Simple-Nourished-Living              Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits,              Sarah - Everything in the Kitchen Sink      Pennywise Platter

Coming up – Brussels Sprouts

Asian Cabbage Salad with Sesame Seeds

There are certain blogs, I go back to time and again, knowing I will find a recipe that appears as perfect for what I am looking for. Kalyn’s Kitchen is one of these.  Kalyn’s recipes are clear and she includes those little tips that make all the difference.  When I was looking up cabbage recipes and saw that Kalyn had some, I clicked over and found this delicious recipe.
Asian Cabbage Salad with Sesame Seeds  Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen -  a place to find terrific recipes

Asian Cabbage Salad with Sesame Seeds
(Makes about 4 servings, recipe adapted from the original South Beach Diet Book.)

Ingredients:
1 bag shredded cabbage (16 ounces)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons peanuts (or more)

Dressing Ingredients:
2 T rice vinegar (don’t use seasoned vinegar, which contains sugar)
1 T sesame oil
1 T honey
1/8 tsp. hot sauce
1/8 tsp. grated ginger

Instructions:
 Mix rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, hot sauce and ginger in a small jar and shake to combine. (Can also whisk together in a bowl.)

Toast sesame seeds about 1 minute in a small dry pan, until they start to be fragrant and slightly browned.

Put cabbage  into mixing bowl, toss well with dressing, arrange on individual serving plates and sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts.

This is linked  to Whole Food Wednesdays    

Cozy Home Party