Friday, November 28, 2008

Broccoli and cashew nuts on the side...


I found the following recipe in an old magazine. I have only recently tried it myself and it is delicious and easy to make.
Preperation time: 15 minutes
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
1pkt (500g) fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 Red or Yellow pepper cut into thin strips
1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup chopped salted cashews
salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Steam broccoli in microwave for approximately 5 minutes (must still be crisp) Add the peppers to the broccoli. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the mixture of brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic to it. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Mix in the cashews and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.

Become a fan of the green affro man...


Well, this is a difficult one because I am supposed to encourage you to eat your broccoli when I despise it myself. All I can say for now is; do as I say and not as I do!!! No, all jokes aside, I do eat broccoli but I can honestly say that it is not my favourite veggie!

I am going to attempt to try and get you excited about broccoli, so here goes: Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family( and this is important to man and beast beacause?) Broccoli contains a high percentage of Vitamin C, A and folic acids, while potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, traces of Omega 3, calcium, iron and zinc are also present.

So as you can see it is indeed a valuable source of most of the essential nutrients. It is very easy to prepare, and as it is with all vegetables, do not overcook broccoli as it will lose all of its valuble nutrients. The health benefits of eating broccoli include its preventative and healing qualities against the effects of various forms of cancer, cataracts (I'm not so sure about this one as I was an optician for 10 years and developing cataracts had nothing to do with eating broccoli or not!), osteoporosis and ulcers. If eaten regularly it could also boost the immune system.

So now you might ask yourself how much broccoli should I eat? The good news is that just 3 to 5 servings-less than one serving a day will be enough to help you benefit from all its goodness.

Now all I can say is bite the bullet and happy broccoli eating!!!
Till next time!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

New look and feel

Good day to you!
I am sure you must be confused if you have stumbled across my blog and expected to see recipes and health tips. If you thought that bite on the side was all about good food and decadent treats, you are correct, so please excuse my previous entries, written in Afrikaans about my cat and dog. I can explain... I trust that you will greatly benefit from my tips and enjoy my cooking experiences with me. Watch this space!!!