The Recipe Room

Although broccoli is considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet  due to its high content of calcium, vitamin C, folic acid and iron, it can be quite difficult at times to get your kids to eat it, regardless of how much you threaten them with chores or no dessert!

Luckily, almost all kids love Cheddar cheese, so this broccoli in cheddar cheese sauce may just be the perfect way to finally get them to eat something green and healthy for once.  I know it worked for me when I was a kid!

You can really use any kind of cheese you prefer for this dish, but I find the bright orange colour of the cheddar looks really nice with the dark green of the broccoli and helps make this into an attractive and delicious side dish. (If you prefer a main dish, I recommend this pasta salad with broccoli and bacon – without the bacon, of course!)

What you’re going to need:

• 315ml milk (or soy or other milk)
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 100g (1 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese or cheese alternative
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 500g broccoli, cut into 2 to 3 cm florets

What you have to do:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together about 65ml of the milk and the cornflour until smooth and lump-free.
2. Add the rest of the milk and the garlic and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly.
3.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cheese. Keep stirring until all the cheese melts.
4. Add salt and cayenne pepper and taste.  Add more if desired.
5. Stir in the lemon juice and reduce the heat as low as possible in order to keep the sauce warm while the broccoli is cooking.
6. Cook the broccoli in boiling salted water until just tender, about 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the size of the florets.
7. Remove the broccoli from the water, drain, and pat dry with kitchen towels.
8. Drizzle the cheese sauce over the cooked broccoli and serve immediately.

Preparation Time:  10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves:  4

Difficulty: Easy

Like most stir-fries, this broccoli and tofu in coconut milk stir-fry is incredibly easy to throw together and makes for a tasty meal when you’re short on time and your family is clamouring for their supper.  Both the broccoli and the tofu soak up the sauce really well, so every bite is packed full of yummy coconut and spice flavours. (Also try this vegetable stir-fry delight!)

The best way to make a stir-fry is of course in a wok, but if you don’t have one at hand, you can use any good, large non-stick frying pan.  I do recommend you get yourself a wok as soon as possible though, because it really makes it easier to fry the veggies quickly, plus they tend to be bigger than most frying pans so you don’t have to worry about the ingredients spilling over the side when you stir energetically.

What you’re going to need:

• 300g soft tofu, cut into pieces 1cm x 1cm x 3cm
• 500g broccoli, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 400ml coconut milk
• 2tbsp Tamari soy sauce
• 1tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1tsp fresh chilli peppers, finely chopped
• 2tbsp canola oil
• 2tbsp water

What you have to do:

1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
2. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the garlic, ginger and chillies.
3. Sauté for about 1 minute or until the spices turn brown and aromatic.
4. Add the Tamari and stir well to mix in the spices.
5. Increase the heat to high and add the chopped broccoli and tofu.  Stir well and make sure all the broccoli and tofu are coated with the Tamari and spice liquid.
6. Continue stir-frying over high heat for 3 minutes.
7. Add the water and keep stir-frying for another 3 minutes.
8. Add the coconut milk and mix well.
9. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 4 minutes.
10. Serve over a bed of steamed rice or Chinese-style noodles.

Preparation Time:  5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves:  2-3

Difficulty: Easy

Perfect for when you need a quick and easy, but still tasty and healthy, meal for unexpected dinner guests. This Broccoli and Feta Rice dish is a family favourite that’s sure to please even the pickiest of palettes.  I came up with this one summer evening a few years back when we organized a spur of the moment dinner party with some friends we’d invited over for drinks, only to realise that purple sprouting broccoli, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese were quite literally the only things I had in the fridge!  After a quick inspection of the cupboards I found a bit of Basmati Rice and inspiration struck!  Not much more than 20 minutes later and we were happily stuffing our bellies with this tangy, cheesy delight.

Ever since that day, this has been my “go to” dish for any last-minute meal requirements.  As an alternative you can replace the cherry tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes, preferably the kind that come in a jar with olive oil.  If you have the loose, dry kind, be sure to rehydrate them in hot water with a little olive oil before adding them to the mix.  Also bear in mind that sun-dried tomatoes are notoriously salty, and when combined with the salty feta cheese it can be a bit much, so don’t add any more salt until the end and always test it first!

What you’re going to need

• 1 medium head of broccoli, chopped, about 2 cups
• 1 200g package of feta cheese, chopped in cubes
• 1 pack cherry tomatoes (approx. 25 units)
• 2 cups uncooked basmati rice
• 3 cups water with 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste

What you have to do

1. Steam the broccoli for about 10 minutes, or until it is tender, but still a little al dente.  Set aside.
2. Cook the rice in the salted water with the bay leaf until it’s tender but not mushy (about 25 minutes).
3. Drain the rice and place it in a large serving bowl.
4. Add the broccoli and feta cheese to the rice, along with the herbs, salt and pepper.
5. Stir the mixture well, adding more salt and pepper as desired.
6. Serve warm or cold.

Preparation Time:  5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves:  4

Difficulty: Easy