Celery and cauliflower are having their moment, but let’s not forget about good ole’ broccoli. In a time when we’re reworking chicken wings into buffalo cauliflower, why not rework broccoli as a nutrient dense option for mashed potatoes? Broccoli is high in vitamin C (collagen builder and powerful antioxidant!) and actually tastes pretty damn good when you mash it up with the flavorful punch of garlic, bright lemon zest, and umami flavors of nutritional yeast. I love this as a side with wild salmon or my maple tempeh.
Garlicky Mashed Broccoli
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
4 cups raw broccoli florets
3 T. olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup organic broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
generous pinch sea salt
generous grind fresh cracked pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
Directions:
In a medium stock pot add 1 inch of water, then place broccoli on top(can use steam basket if handy, but not necessary). Season with a pinch of sea salt and turn heat on high, cover with llid, reduce heat and steam for about 5 minutes. You want the broccoli to be fork tender and retain its bright color. Take broccoli off heat, strain out water and set aside (keep lid on to retain heat).
In a saute pan, add olive oil and shallot, and minced garlic cloves over medium heat. Stir frequently, you don’t want the garlic to burn or brown, just soften. This will only take a few minutes, then add the vegetable broth.
Add the steamed broccoli and the garlic, shallot, vegetable broth to a medium mixing bowl add cracked black pepper, additional pinch of sea salt, lemon zest, and nutritional yeast. Use a potato masher to mash the broccoli until creamy. If you like a little hint of “chunkiness” you can control that during this step. Taste, adjust seasonings as desired and serve warm
