Garlic broccoli. I’ll admit, the name doesn’t sound fancy, does it? I’m not that fancy of a person, so I guess I don’t come up with fancy recipe titles, but trust me when I say this recipe is GOOD. So good, it’s my stand by veggie recipe when I don’t know what else to make.

I buy a lot of broccoli. I mean, A LOT. My guess is I spend about $6 on broccoli alone which comes out to about 10-12 small heads of broccoli. But guess what? We eat it.

Broccoli is one of those vegetables that has a bad rep. When you say broccoli, many people may conjure up images of over- cooked, mushy,  grossly-green “trees”.That’s not how to cook broccoli, my friends.

Broccoli is chocked full of good stuff for you: iron, calcium, fiber, vitamin A, K, and C, folate, and potassium. Broccoli helps fight cancer, keep you looking younger, and is great for your skin and bones. Pregnant (or women trying to conceive) and nursing moms would benefit from the folate which is necessary vitamin during pregnancy, and helps fight against breast cancer. (You can read more about the benefits of broccoli here.)

This is my tried and true broccoli recipe. Each of my kids love it and often will ask for seconds. (Including the very picky 2 year old.)

Garlic mixes very well with broccoli and the flavors really marry well together. It’s like a match made in healthy food heaven.

To start, you need broccoli, garlic, and olive oil.

Chop up broccoli. They really do look like trees, don’t they?

Drizzle olive oil into a pan and add garlic.

Let the garlic get fragrant before you add the broccoli.

Add the florets and sprinkle with a little salt.

Give a stir, sprinkle in garlic powder. Give another stir. You want a little color on that broccoli. It’ll be yummy.

Add chicken stock. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes until broccoli is bright green. Do not over cook. If broccoli start turning a more olive-y green color, you’ve cooked it too long. You want the broccoli to be slightly tender, but still have some bite to it.

Remove from heat and serve. You can top with a sprinkle of Parmesan or not. Totally up to you. Then watch as your little cherubs gobble it up and ask for more. (BTW: leftover broccoli makes a great veggies for a packed lunch the next day.)

Enjoy!

Recipe for Garlic Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 3 heads of broccoli, chops (roughly 4 cups)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

To make:

Heat olive in a pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (1 minute). Add broccoli with a pinch of salt and stir. Allow to cook in oil for about 1-2 minutes to get some color on it.

Sprinkle with garlic powder and stir. Add chicken stock and cover, steaming broccoli. Steam for about 5 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and tender, but still have some bite to it.

Sprinkle with cheese if desired and serve.