Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli

1 lb. boneless chuck roast, sliced into thin strips

3 heads of broccoli, cut into florets (about 5 cups)

1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup beef stock

1/3 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos

1/3 cup honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon tapioca starch (or corn starch; optional)

In a slow cooker, add the beef stock, soy sauce or coconut aminos, honey, garlic, and sliced apple. Add the sliced beef and stir. Cook for 4 to 5 hours on low.

In a small bowl, whisk the tapioca starch or corn starch with some of the liquid from the slow cooker. Pour it back into the slow cooker and whisk well. The apples will dissolve into the liquid. Add the broccoli and cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve on top of brown rice or cauliflower rice.

Serves 3-4.

{image and recipe adapted from Paleo Leap}

Broccoli and Tortellni Salad

6 slices of bacon
20oz fresh cheese tortellini
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cider vinegar
3 heads fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 red onion, finely chopped

Cook bacon, drain, crumble and set aside.

Cook tortellini in lightly salted water for 8-10 min or until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.

In a small bowl, combine mayo, sugar and vinegar to make dressing.

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, tortellini, bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds and red onion. Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Broccoli Crunch

4 -5 cups tiny broccoli florets (and chopped stalks if you like)

1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water

2 small crisp apples, cut into bit-sized pieces (if you aren't going to use the apples immediately, let them sit in a bowl of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted or candied walnuts or almonds
1/3 cup pan-fried crunchy shallots *(see note)
chives (optional)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt as you would pasta water. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of - 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and immerse it in cold water (or let cold water run over it). At this point, I like to spin the broccoli in a salad spinner to get the water off, but a few good knocks against the sink in a strainer can do the trick pretty well. Set aside.

Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop - turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make any adjustments and set aside.

In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, red onion, most of the shallots and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like. Serve family style.

Serves 4.

*Stir together the shallots, a splash of clarified butter (or olive oil) and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about fifteen minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn), and if needed turn down the heat. Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit.

{From 101 Cookbooks}

Garlic Roasted Broccoli

1.5 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
2-3 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Toss broccoli with garlic, oil and sesonings. Spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 min, or until broccoli is just starting to brown. Serves 4


Nutritional Information:
Serving Size 186 g

Calories 156
Calories from Fat 97

Total Fat 10.8g 17%
Saturated Fat 1.4g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 57mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 13.3g 4%
Dietary Fiber 4.5g 18%
Sugars 3.0g
Protein 5.2g
Vitamin A 22% • Vitamin C 256%
Calcium 9% • Iron 8%
Nutrition Grade A