Here are a few ways to use up your cauliflower and broccoli stalks and leaves.
- Roasted. You can roast peeled stems cut into 1-2 inch sections right along with the plant’s florets.
- Stir-Fried. There are very few vegetables that don’t go well in a stir-fry.
- Slaw.
- Soup.
- Mac and Cheese.
- Pickled.
- Rice It.
- Braise.
Can broccoli stalks be used for anything?
Broccoli stalks can be added to both cold and hot salads. This is especially healthy for those who have a taste for raw vegetables. Broccoli stalks can be cooked with the florets either while you’re steaming the veggie, making soup out of it or adding it to a mixed vegetable sabzi.
What can you do with broccoli leaves?
Broccoli leaves can be prepared the same ways as kale, Swiss chard or collard and mustard greens. Try them in soups, salads or sandwiches, or even blended into a smoothie.
Can you use broccoli leaves for cooking?
Large leaves work best in braises, soups, and stews, where they’ll stand up to a long simmer and soak up loads of rich flavor. They can even take a quick sear on the grill (try misting them with a little oil and seasoning with salt and pepper). You can make broccoli leaf chips the same way you make kale chips.
Are broccoli leaves good for you?
Broccoli leaves are their own super food.
Broccoli leaves hold their own among super foods like kale, chard, and other dark, leafy greens. Like the florets, they are loaded with sought after vitamins A, C, and K as well as fiber, thiamine, niacin, calcium, iron, and potassium.
How much of the broccoli stalk is edible?
The entire stalk is edible, however the very end where the broccoli stem was cut from the plant is usually hard. Cut the hard bottom, usually 1 inch from the bottom of the stem (and save to use in a food scrap broth!). What is this? Finally, cut the broccoli stems into slices and then chop into small pieces.
What can I do with broccoli trunks?
Broccoli stems are also quite versatile: you can shred them into rice, spiralize them into noodles, blitz them into hummus or pesto, add them to broths, blend them into soups and even roast them into french fries (yes, really!).
Can broccoli leaves be frozen?
You can harvest, clean, blanch and freeze your broccoli leaves in a short period of time and then you can use your harvest whenever you like (and it’s already cooked).
Should broccoli leaves be trimmed?
They’ll need those leaves to photosynthesize, which is how they feed themselves. Clip lower leaves on your broccoli plant first, removing them where they meet the stem by cutting or snapping. Don’t tear the main stalk!
What happens if we eat broccoli daily?
Broccoli is a nutrient-rich vegetable that may enhance your health in a variety of ways, such as by reducing inflammation, improving blood sugar control, boosting immunity and promoting heart health. However, keep in mind that good health doesn’t come from any single food.
What parts of broccoli are not edible?
But many people are not eating the broccoli correctly, because they are eating only the florets. Broccoli has two main edible parts, the florets — the dark green forest-y tops which are actually undeveloped flower buds — and the stalk — the pale green undercarriage like the trunk of a tree.
What part of the broccoli is the healthiest?
The stalk contains the most fiber, while broccoli leaves are highest in cell-protecting antioxidants, vitamins E and K, and calcium. At the store or farmers market, look for fresh broccoli with dark green or purple, not yellow, florets.
Can broccoli stalks be cooked and eaten?
The fluffy little florets—the buds at the top of the stalk that pick up texture and absorb flavors and seasoning beautifully—get all of the love. But the stems can absolutely be eaten if you treat them right, and are completely delicious—like the florets, but more mild and sweet, almost like kohlrabi.
How do you preserve broccoli leaves?
Use ziplock or vacuum-sealed bags to store in the freezer. One advantage to freezing is that it ruptures the cell walls, making the leaves more tender when you cook it.
How do you preserve broccoli stems?
Blanch chopped stems in boiling water for 5 minutes and then freeze them. You can use them for broccoli-cheese soup this fall. Check out this handy freezing chart for helpful tips on how to freeze a variety of vegetables.
Can I freeze broccoli stems?
Broccoli — florets and stems — must be blanched for effective freezing. If you freeze it raw, you’ll wind up with bitter, drab green, shriveled stems. Blanching preserves the bright green color and tasty flavor. You can either blanch in boiling water for three minutes or steam for five minutes.
Do I need to blanch broccoli leaves before freezing?
Like most vegetables, if frozen raw, the texture and taste of broccoli will deteriorate into a mushy, grey and unpleasant shadow of its former self, with the goodness leeching away. So, do make sure you blanch it to preserve its colour, flavour and nutrients.
Can you freeze broccoli leaves without blanching?
If greens are not blanched properly, they will lose their fresh flavor quickly in frozen storage. Steam blanching of greens is not recommended as the leaves mat together and do not blanch properly.
What do broccoli leaves taste like?
Broccoli leaves have a milder flavor (they actually taste like broccoli, go figure) and in our opinion, are tastier than kale chips.
Does broccoli come back every year?
Does broccoli come back every year? Broccoli is a biennial, meaning it grows in the first year and flowers in the second year, however, broccoli plants can go to seed in the first year if they are planted in the spring. There are no varieties of broccoli that come back year after year.
Do broccoli heads regrow?
Broccoli takes a long time to mature, so be patient! Once you harvest the main head of a broccoli plant, it will often keep producing smaller side shoots that can be enjoyed for months to come.