Finding it hard to eat your cancer-fighting greens? Try this tasty broccoli recipe that pairs healthy veggies for an even stronger cancer-fighting effect! Instructions adapted from, and photo courtesy of, Rebecca Katz’s The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. Note that I would adjust the red pepper flake amount depending on what you’re experiencing, as some people with sensitive digestion may not be able to take any spice. Also note that you don’t want the heat to be too high when you cook with olive oil – definitely don’t go above medium!
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 5 min
Ingredients
1 bunch of broccoli
Sea salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper or cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
Instructions
- Cut broccoli into florets. Peel the stems and cut into bite-size pieces.
- Boil a large pot of water. Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water.
- Put the broccoli florets and stems into the boiling water for 30 seconds and remove. Drain and rinse the broccoli under cold water.
- Heat the olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute 30 seconds, until you can start to smell the flavours.
- Add bell pepper and pinch of salt and continue to saute for another minute.
- Stir in the broccoli florets and 1/4 tsp of salt, continuing to saute to another 2 minutes. Make sure to stop cooking while the broccoli is still bright green (not dark).
- Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest and basil (don’t be shy with the basil) and serve immediately.
Some notes from Katz’s book: “When researchers combined tomato and broccoli, their ability to shrink prostate tumors in mice was significantly higher than what either vegetable could accomplish on its own.” She also provides the following nutritional information:
Calories: 125
Total Fat: 7.7 g (1.1 g saturated, 5.4 g monounsaturated)
Carbohydrates: 13 g
Protein: 5 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sodium: 125 mg
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