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Why It's Good:
All cruciferous vegetables—broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and more—are power vegetables in terms of nutrition. They're loaded with potent cancer-fighting compounds that help detoxify the body and help prevent healthy cells from turning into cancerous ones.
Why It's Green:
Locally grown broccoli has it all over its supermarket cousin, which likely traveled from a foreign country and can be up to three months old.
Spring's #1 Power Vegetable
Andrew Weil, nutritional guru (he even looks the part) says if you eat only one vegetable, it should be broccoli. He's so right, and not just from a health standpoint. Broccoli that's freshly picked is a different animal from what most of us grew up with—a tamed down, over-cooked mushy veggie that required threats of bodily harm from mothers to eat it.
I was a weird kid who always loved broccoli, a fact I hid from classmates. But that was because I knew what it was supposed to taste like fresh from the garden and with lots of garlic and butter. (Thanks, Mom, for not serving it brown!)
Broccoli also makes a fantastic super-health salad, if you know what to do with it. Herewith, an easy recipe to get you back in the broccoli groove.—Susie Quick
Broccoli Salad with Black Olives and Feta
Serves 4 to 6
This salad is a great make-ahead recipe, ideal for a picnic in the park.
1 1/2 pounds organic or local broccoli, cut into 2-inch-long florets (about 1 inch wide) and stems peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup pitted and sliced Kalamata olives
1 cup thinly sliced celery heart ribs
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1. Cook broccoli in a pot of boiling salted water, until just tender, 2 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the olives, celery, bell pepper, scallions and feta.
2. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Toss with broccoli mixture until just coated. Add additional salt and pepper, if desired. Salad can be served immediately or refrigerated until ready to serve.
