Week 4 Recipes - Broccoli, Zucchini Blossoms, Mesclun Mix, Red Lettuce, Red Cabbage

Remember when broccoli was all the rage in the 1980s?  It was the kale of yesteryear.  I still love it - raw or cooked - but if I cook it, I never cook it to the point of real softness.  I like it just crisp tender and bright green.  That is how it is prepared in today's recipe.  

I never waste any part of the broccoli.  If there are some small leaves on the stalks, I tear them off and save them to mix into my salads.  If my recipe only uses the florets (as this one does), I peel the stalks and use them in salads or as "broccoli sticks" to dip into hummus.

This is one of my favorite dishes which I adapted from one that is in the Engine 2 Diet book.  I start with their sauce and the shitakes as my base and then add what I think would taste good.  I like it with chinese style brown rice noodles instead of whole wheat pasta, but you could use either.  If you still have some garlic scapes from last week, you can use 1 or 2 in this instead of the garlic cloves.  Likewise with the scallions.  I often make this same recipe with carrots and snow peas instead,  but I particularly like broccoli in this which is why it is the perfect week 4 recipe!

Shitake and Broccoli Stir Fry 
16 oz. brown rice noodles
1 lb. extra firm tofu, cubed
Braggs liquid amino spray or 1 Tbs tamari
8-12 oz. shitake mushrooms, rinsed, patted dry, and sliced
1 head Clarion River Organics broccoli, cut into florets
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 Tbs minced fresh ginger (about a 2 inch piece)
Cooking Spray
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 scallions, sliced



For the sauce:
6 Tbs tamari
juice of 1 - 1 1/2 lemons
3 Tbs molasses
3 Tbs flour or arrowroot powder


First, make the sauce by combining all the ingredients with a whisker or fork and set aside.  Spray the tofu with the Braggs Liquid Aminos (or toss with 1 Tbs. tamari if no Braggs) until it is covered.  Place tofu cubes on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper put under broiler for 5 minutes (check it after 2-3 minutes to be sure it is not so close that it burns).  When tofu is light brown and very firm remove from oven and set aside.


Cook noodles according to package directions.  Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with the cooking spray to coat it and heat over medium heat.  Add the remaining ingrediants except cilantro and scallions in the order listed stirring for one minute after each.  Remove from heat and add the sauce and tofu.  Drain noodles and serve broccoli-shitake mixture over the noodles and garnish with scallions and cilantro.  Serves 5-6.

Zucchini Blossoms
And not sure what to do with that nice carton of zucchini blossoms?  Why not make a beautiful tossed salad to go with your noodles using the CRO mesclun mix and red dazzler lettuce, and even a little of that red cabbage, chopped.  Then  top the salad with the blossoms for some beautiful color and interesting conversation pieces.  I simply rinsed mine first and patted them dry and used them as a garnish.  You could also chop them up and mix in with your lettuce if you prefer to "hide" them.