Riced Broccoli Recipe: Instantly Up Your Fiber Intake

If you haven’t had broccoli that tastes good, it may be because you’re scarred from childhood memories of eating plates of the boiled vegetable before you could have any ice cream. My mother literally had to pretend they were baby trees so I would eat them. But if there’s one thing we learn as we get older, it’s that there are so many ways to make these healthy foods taste delicious. One of the best ideas I’ve recently discovered is ricing my broccoli. It’s a bit similar to cauliflower rice and pizza bases but delivers all the incredible nutrients of this vegetable.

Broccoli is a great source of vitamins K and C, potassium, and folate. It’s also an easy way to sneak some more fiber into your diet, which we know is so important for our health. Historically, we have always been a population deficient in the right kinds of fiber, which is vital for digestive health and reducing the risk of diseases like heart disease, stroke, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

But just reaching for fiber-rich foods isn’t always enough - there are two types of fibers and you need a balance of both for thriving health. If you don’t know, fiber is the food matter that mostly isn’t broken down, but passes through our digestive tract whole. Simply put, soluble fiber dissolves in water where insoluble does not. Soluble fiber eventually forms a gel that aids in digestion by reducing blood cholesterol and sugar while helping your body improve blood glucose control. Insoluble fiber attracts water into your the wastes passing through your digestive tract, ensuring there is less strain on your bowel. Insoluble fiber can help promote bowel health and regularity, and deficiency can lead to issues like constipation or even lead to the development of cancer cells.

More than half of broccoli’s fiber content is soluble, ultimately supporting your gut health by feeding the good bacteria in your large intestine. So use it as the base for your next dish. We definitely think there’s a place for rice and quinoa in our diet, provided it has come from a good source, but there’s no reason we shouldn’t swap it out for a veggie alternative once or twice a week - it boosts our vegetable intake and it’s super fun to make.

You Will Need:

• 1 head of fresh broccoli
• Food processor, blender, box grater, or sharp knife

Preparation:

1. The goal is to get the broccoli as small as possible - the size of a rice grain.
2. You can use any attachments on your processor or blender to blitz the florets and stalk, but we recommend dicing the broccoli in smaller sizes to begin.
3. Alternatively, you can use a box grater or a sharp knife to dice the whole broccoli , but this process can be more time-consuming.

Cooking:

1. If you prefer a raw diet, you can simply use the freshly riced broccoli.
2. To sautee, heat your favorite cooking oil over medium-high heat and add the broccoli until the texture softens, this should only take a few minutes.
3. To microwave, add the broccoli to a microwave-safe bowl with a little cooking oil, cover, and microwave for 2 minutes.
4. To add to curries, casseroles, or any other dishes, simply add the broccoli rice to the mixture while cooking.

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