Broccoli Makes A Lovely Summer Salad
Broccoli makes it onto my plate often and in a variety of ways. How do you eat your broccoli? I enjoy more raw food during the pitta season, as well as cooked vegetable salads. One way to eat your broccoli is salad. Broccoli makes a yummy salad. Green trees, as my niece used to call broccoli, is one of my favorite vegetables.
I buy and cook a lot of green trees. I have tried many times to grow it unsuccessfully so I keep buying. Broccoli is filled with nutrients, and I love how it makes me feel. Broccoli is low in fat and has a great combination of carbohydrates fiber and protein. It packs a powerful health punch with a combination of vitamin A, C, B, and sulfur-based phyto-nutrients. The sprouts are a fantastic nutrient source.
Broccoli came to this country from Italian immigrants. It is now primarily used in Mediterranean Asian and classic American cuisine. For more info about the history of this vegetable, click this link.
I didn’t grow up loving broccoli; we grew up eating mostly the frozen variety. When overcooked, the stinky smell and brown-green color didn’t appeal to me. Once I learned not to overcook it, I enjoy the bright green color and complex flavor.
Ayurveda and Broccoli
Ayurveda looks at vegetables, all foods to help understand the digestive effect of them on each of us. Consider the energy. Is it sattvic, rajas or tamasic in nature. Categorize the taste: the rasa virya and vipak are all used to understand how foods act in us after digestion.
Broccoli is a big flower in bud form. Eating the flowering parts of plants is considered sattvic in Ayurveda. Broccoli is astringent in taste. Dishes are often prepared with spice like ginger and turmeric to balance this astringency.
How Do You Eat Your Broccoli?
A lot of people drown this vegetable with cheese; if that is the only way you eat your broccoli, you have to start somewhere. At this point, I have moved away from au gratin to naked, oil & garlic, and roasted with nutritional yeast. I grate the raw stalks or buy them pre-grated and marinate them to make a broccoli slaw. Here is an example recipe.
Sometimes, I quickly blanch it and dig in. One of my favorite cooking tools in summer is blanching because it is quick and doesn’t build heat in the house, like turning on the oven. Blanching is light cooking by short time immersion in boiling salted water. Pull the vegetable out of the water and immerse in cold water to maintain the vibrant color. Here is my current favorite broccoli summer salad.
Sesame Broccoli Salad
Equipment
- bowl
- Cutting Board
- paring knife
- small bowl for dressing
- table spoon
- teasespoon
- large stock pot for blancihng
- salad spinner
- bowl for cold water immersion
Ingredients
- 2 lbs broccoli fresh organic
- 1 tbsp salt for salt water blanch
- 4-6 quart water for salt water blanch and cold water immersion
Dressing
- 2 tbsp avacado oil
- 2½ tsp sesame oil organic cooking grade
- 1½ tsp coconut aminos
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame seeds toasted organic
- 0- 2 pinches salt add to taste
- 8-10 turns black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
Make Dressing Ahead
- Mix dressing ingredients and stir well to combine. Set aside.
Prepare Broccoli
- Cut broccoli into even sized florets. Trim and slice stems into 1/4 inch match sticks. Do not use the stalk ends in the salad as they are too tough. Save these fibrous end pieces to make vegetable stock.
- Rinse chopped broccoli
- Fill pot to 2/3 full and add a healthy pinch of salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Add broccoli and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Remove Broccoli and add to ice water. Broccoli is lightly crunchy and bright green.
- Drain Broccoli from cold water add to spinner and spin dry.
Assemble Salad
- Check broccoli is dry. Drain any liquid from bowl. Mix dressing. Pour dressing over broccoli and mix well.
- Cover and refridgerate until meal time up to 24 hours. Allow to come back towards room temperature before eating.
Notes
- Cut the broccoli into even sized florets and the stems into 1 – 2 inch match sticks, so they are easy to blanch evenly.
- Be sure the broccoli is dry extra water will dilute the dressing.
- Allow time for the dressing to soak into the broccoli.
Find ways to make the vegetables that you love interesting throughout the year. Figure out how to eat your broccoli, so you enjoy it. Give this recipe a try to enjoy the fresh seasonal taste of local broccoli.
Ayurselfcare’s purpose is to educate on the benefits of Ayurveda. This article is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment, or advice. All the material here is for learning purposes only. Do not eat foods that you are allergic to or interfere with any medications you take. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.
