Food Files: Riced Broccoli with Olive Salad & Greens

“Cooking is at once one of the simplest and most gratifying of the arts, but to cook well one must love and respect food.” Craig Claiborne

Food Files: Riced Broccoli with Olive Salad & Greens

If you are an inquisitive foodie, you’ve probably come across the latest food rage – riced cauliflower and riced broccoli. Both are considered ideal substitutes for rice. While I admit that as a foodie, with a healthy vegetarian-based diet, I love these new riced dishes, I still love rice in all its permutations; brown, white, red, black, yellow, and more. Rice is a big part of my childhood memories so it is not a food I take lightly. That said, when I started reading about rice vegetables, I knew I had to give it a try. I have eaten both the cauliflower and the broccoli versions and like them tremendously. I’m sharing a recipe with the broccoli version because it occurred to me to write about it while I was preparing the dish. You can substitute either vegetable with the recipe. For the mixed salad greens, I combined a mixture of organic greens with chopped cucumber, shredded carrots, chopped granny smith apples, a few dried raisins, and a dash of lemon juice and kosher salt. I added a few slices of avocado and the Olive Salad recipe is in the second half of my post below.

Sautéed Riced Broccoli or Riced Cauliflower
Ingredients
1 15oz bag of Riced Broccoli ( it comes coarsely chopped into the smallest bits. You can make yours from scratch too)
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil.
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 tsp rosemary seasoning
1/2 tsp basil seasoning
1/4 – 1/2 tsp garlic or kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-2 tbsp water

Preparation
In a heated medium to large-sized Wok or frying pan, add the oil, fresh garlic and ginger, seasonings, and salt and stir quickly for a few seconds. Add the riced broccoli and sauté for 2-3 minutes making sure all the ingredients are folded in evenly with the broccoli. As the broccoli cooks and turns slightly translucent, add the pepper and a tablespoon of water to infuse some steam into the dish. Stir for another 1-2 minutes and then remove the wok/pan from the heat. Taste to make sure it suits your preferred texture. I like mine crunchy with a slight softness. Since adding water to your sauté creates steam that helps cook the veggie, you may add another 1-2 tbsp to meet your desired texture. Serve hot as a side or with a protein of your choosing.

Olive oil by Chris Loud via poetrysoup.com
You asked if we could both eat healthier
And I was not excited in the least
I tried the kale and beets; they weren’t for me
Quinoa and tofu taste a lot like air
I knew you got frustrated as I smirked
You might think to yourself “Is he for me?”
I knew I’d have to try again for you
The next time we made lunch I took the lead
The jar of sandwich spread that I revealed
It made you smile and look me in the eye
The mayo-nnaise was made with olive oil
Less calories and saturated fat
We spread it on the bread from multi-grains
I said the special words; you knew I cared
“…with Olive oil”. You said, “I love you too.”

More Below!

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.” Swedish Proverb

Food Files: Riced Broccoli with Olive Salad & Greens

As you can tell from my post title, I created another dish to complement my riced broccoli. What makes the Olive Salad a divine and perfect choice is that it brings a zest and delightful touch to the broccoli dish. It is very easy to prepare and if you are in a hurry, you can always buy it prepared at your local specialty shop. What I love about mixing and matching foods is that it gives us a chance to create foods that satisfy all our standard cravings; pair a crunchy, spicy dish with a smooth, sweet dish and throw in some salty bit to round it up. Another thing you might have noticed from my food posts is that I love to use Olive oil in my cooking; ideally, organic and cold-pressed. I also love, love, love Oliviers & Co fresh basil macerated in extra virgin olive oil. It is simply divine and adds a delicious, robust dash of basil to your dish. For my Olive Salad, I combine both types of Olive oil and it makes the dish sing.

Olive Salad with Basil macerated Olive Oil
Ingredients
a variety of olives of your choice (mix up colors; green, black, brown, earth red olives)
1/4 cup of finely chopped radish
1/2 cup of finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup of finely chopped Cauliflower
1/4 cup of finely chopped pepperoncini
1/2 cup of finely chopped sweet peppers
1/2 cup of finely chopped celery
1/4 cup of capers
1-2 minced cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp lemon pepper salt
1/2 tsp oregano or rosemary spice
1/2 cup Basil macerated Olive Oil
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar

Preparation
There are 2 ways you can make this dish; The first is to prep all the vegetables in advance in a processor or a blender with a fine chopping button. Sauté them slightly with a little bit of the olive oil and then mix all the ingredients together in a large metal bowl. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving so the combined vegetables can marinade in the oil, spices, and vinegar. The second way is to add the ingredients in small servings to your processor and gradually blend them all in for a smoother, creamier finish. I prefer the first approach because I like crunchy vegetables and mixing them together in a bowl after chopping them up preserves some of the crunchiness of the vegetables. This is a delicious, healthy dish and you can make it from all raw vegetables or slightly sauteed ones… Cooked or steamed vegetables are not recommended. Enjoy! Prep time 15-20 minutes. Ready to eat in 30 minutes.

A Food Label Lament by Elisabeth Sheaffer via poetrysoup.com
Every day there’s folk who expound
on what we should eat, and I’ve found
they all promote a point of view
of what they think is good for you.
The manufacturers don’t comply
and in the face of reason fly,
for taste is what makes products sell,
that’s what the listed contents tell.

Please ignore the sugar and salt,
which isn’t really all their fault.
They do it to improve the taste
so that it doesn’t go to waste,
or you’ll just throw it in the bin.
After all, it isn’t a sin
to stop your food from tasting bland
when additives are close at hand.

Once, it was E-numbers that prevailed
and colourings were much bewailed
for they were always thought to be
such harmful things for you and me.
Now it’s sugar and salt to blame
and fat to add another name.
Cakes and biscuits, well they’re all bad
and chocolate is banned, which makes us sad.

For something has to sweeten life
which frankly is too full of strife.
Should it really turn out this way?
It’s quite impossible to say.
At any rate some comfort food
lifts our spirits and cheers our mood.

Let’s ignore what’s on the packet,
advertising’s just a racket.
It may be good or may be not,
the main thing is, don’t eat a lot.
Everything in moderation,
that will be our health’s salvation.
Copyright © Elisabeth Sheaffer | Year Posted 2017

Have a Happy, Healthy 2017!

Positive Motivation Tip: Enjoy a variety of foods as the more you explore the more you’ll enjoy!

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my Personal Collection except cauliflower  via Pixabay

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

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