"BROCCOLI AND MEAT"

Broccolli s a cool-weather vegetable that does poorly in hot summer weather, but aren't we lucky that here it is available all year round in supermarkets?

I enjoy eating broccoli florets than the stalks. The florets can be handled easily and it is prettier, so it is nice to serve it to kids and to people who do not really enjoy eating vegetables much.

Most of the time when I order broccoli in restaurants, they are already overcooked, or drenched in sauces! Aside from the fact that the florets look ugly when overcooked, it is said that the nutrients of the broccoli are reduced with this kind of handling.

The broccoli (which belongs in the "cabbage family") is high in vitamin C, soluble fiber and contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-oxidants! It also has potassium, Vit B+, Vit A, calcium, etc! Now...give it a try if you are still not liking it. A few pieces of the florets will be good enough...c'mon! :-)

My husband is one of those people who do not really like eating plain or unseasoned vegetables. So, I always have to prepare his broccoli with some meat dish. Sometimes I just add the broccoli to "sauteed beef with oyster sauce", "cheesy mushroom chicken" or "barbecued pork cutlets".

But since we consume more turkey meat than beef or pork, I want to share with you this standard ground Turkey meat recipe that I frequently mix with blanched broccoli. You will be surprised how simple the dish is, but it can make your broccoli enjoyable to eat.

Depending on your preference, you may substitute the ground turkey in this recipe with ground beef or pork or chicken. In the past, I used to make this with ground (85%) lean beef and it's tasted good!

- CHICHAY

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"BROCCOLI AND MEAT"

What You Need:

• 2 cups of broccoli florets


• 1/2 cup of water


• 1 pound ground lean turkey meat (or ground pork/chicken/beef)
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco hot sauce (optional)
  
• 2 tbsp tomato catsup mixed with 1 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce


• 1/4 tsp chili powder


• 1/4 tsp garlic powder


• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper


• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp sugar (or 1/2 a packet of splenda)


• 1/2 medium onion, minced


• 3 garlic cloves, minced


• 1 tbsp juice of lemon


• 2 tsp olive oil

Prep:

Broccoli: Boil the water and add in the broccoli florets, cover and bring back to a boil.

Drain the water as soon as it boils, and transfer the broccoli to bowl with cold water and ice - just so it will stop cooking. This will keep its color and crisp. Leave it there for about 5 minutes and drain again.

[CHICHAY TIP: This blanched broccoli can be kept in the fridge/freezer in a ziploc bag or a sealed container, and may be reheated as a side dish by itself. Just add salt and pepper to taste. Also may be added to any other cooked meat as a garnish.]

Ground Meat: In a bowl, mix together the ground meat with all the dry ingredients plus 1 tsp olive oil, the lemon juice, soy sauce, W.Sauce, and hot sauce. Set aside.

[CHICHAY TIP:This meat mixture can be kept in a fridge as a "ready-to-cook" marinated meat, or can be cooked right after mixing.]

How To :

-On a heated pan, brown the meat in olive oil, stirring constantly for about 5-10 minutes

-add the catsup with water, onions, and garlic. Keep stirring for about 2 minutes.

-Cover the pan, and let simmer for about 3 minutes.

-Mix in the (blanched) broccoli florets to the meat, give it one stir, and then turn off the heat

-transfer on a dish and serve immediately.