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Broccoli Stems


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Broccoli tops prevent muffin tops.

A bit of esoterica, and somewhat off topic, but I may be one of the few people you know who cherish broccoli and cauliflower stems. That's the part that most people throw away, but I carefully and painstaking peel them down to the most tasty (and peppery) flesh in the vegetable kingdom (along with artichoke stems). Call me a stem man....actually, don't call me a stem man....but I do like those stems.

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+1 on the broccoli stems (hate the cauliflower)

This will change your mind -- toss a few well trimmed cauliflower stems with pitted olives and chick peas and olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Dine like a king.

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Jacques Pepin says that the stems are the best part of the broccoli.

Asparagus is another good one to peel. You can get a lot more "meat" out of an asparagus spear if you peel the woody, lower part of the stem. This is especially valuable if you grow your own

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Jacques Pepin says that the stems are the best part of the broccoli.

Asparagus is another good one to peel. You can get a lot more "meat" out of an asparagus spear if you peel the woody, lower part of the stem. This is especially valuable if you grow your own

Same with artichokes. Get the ones with the longest stems and peel those puppies. As far as I'm concerned it's better than any other part of the artichoke.

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Same with artichokes. Get the ones with the longest stems and peel those puppies. As far as I'm concerned it's better than any other part of the artichoke.

Couldn't agree more. As for broccoli stems... I grew up in a (frugal Chinese - redundant, I think) family where the stems were always thrown in with the florets and to this day, far prefer the stems. Great sliced in a stir fry. Bet they'd be delish sliced for tempura.

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This will change your mind -- toss a few well trimmed cauliflower stems with pitted olives and chick peas and olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Dine like a king.

The mind is pretty much set in its ways when it comes to cauliflower. Blame SUNY Albany.

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They also make excellent dog treats. Our dog will do just about anything for some cruciferous veg stems.

Really? My dogs have been remarkable for their taste for strawberries, tomatoes, oranges, apples, peaches, but I've never tried broccoli or cauliflower or any other member of the mustard family. You give these to your dog plain and raw? (My current dog has been eating grass off and on for the last two or three weeks and also having diarrhea off and on for the last two or three weeks; I wonder if broccoli would be good or bad in this context.)

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What I do with broccoli and rabe is prep and store them in the refrigerator. For broccoli, I cut into large pieces and steam just until bright green, then shock/stop cooking. From there, I break them down further and either microwave to heat, saute (evoo, anchovy paste), oven roast, or cut cold into salads, stems and all.

(for rabe, I blanch, shock and store until used).

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Really? My dogs have been remarkable for their taste for strawberries, tomatoes, oranges, apples, peaches, but I've never tried broccoli or cauliflower or any other member of the mustard family. You give these to your dog plain and raw? (My current dog has been eating grass off and on for the last two or three weeks and also having diarrhea off and on for the last two or three weeks; I wonder if broccoli would be good or bad in this context.)

Feed him pureed pumpkin or sweet potato, that usually helps.

My dog enjoys carrots and apples. The funny thing is that he eats them much more slowly than meat based treats.

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Really? My dogs have been remarkable for their taste for strawberries, tomatoes, oranges, apples, peaches, but I've never tried broccoli or cauliflower or any other member of the mustard family. You give these to your dog plain and raw? (My current dog has been eating grass off and on for the last two or three weeks and also having diarrhea off and on for the last two or three weeks; I wonder if broccoli would be good or bad in this context.)

He eats it raw and sometimes gets cooked bits as well. He also really loves frozen broccoli and cauliflower pieces. I prefer to give him vegetables over fruits since they have less sugar and fewer calories than fruit. But he will happily eat banana or melon. He also likes to much on grass and has been known to hunt down tender bamboo shoots that travel into our lawn for our neighbor's unkempt yard.

Much like humans, I think the gastrointestinal constitution of dogs is pretty idiosyncratic. Dirrahea is different from loose stools (the former having the hallmarks of frequency, urgency AND consistency). If consistency is the primary challenge, a little bit of canned pumpkin in their food is very helpful since it is high in soluble fiber. The former warrants a chat with the vet. Broccoli and cauliflower are going to be more insoluble fiber, that can make stool looser and can come out looking much like it did going in. It definitely gives our dog gas, which could be equally as unwanted as diarrhea. And with that, I will turn off the clinical dietitian side of my brain.

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If you subscribe to the NYT and love garlic, here's a tasty, easy recipe for broccoli stems:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/health/nutrition/03recipehealth.html?

On the topic of broccoli and dogs, our pup loves (and I mean loves, as in can't set her butt down hard enough or fast enough to be a "good girl") frozen green beans. When we had to put her on special food - which she dislikes - we threw some on, and she ate, no problem. We ran out of green beans at one point, and decided to throw in some cooked broccoli instead. She promptly devoured it to the point where she was moving the bowl across the floor. Without having lekkerwijn's credentials, I believe the only thing you have to be careful of is the high calcium level in it.

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Much like humans, I think the gastrointestinal constitution of dogs is pretty idiosyncratic. Dirrahea is different from loose stools (the former having the hallmarks of frequency, urgency AND consistency). If consistency is the primary challenge, a little bit of canned pumpkin in their food is very helpful since it is high in soluble fiber. The former warrants a chat with the vet. Broccoli and cauliflower are going to be more insoluble fiber, that can make stool looser and can come out looking much like it did going in. It definitely gives our dog gas, which could be equally as unwanted as diarrhea. And with that, I will turn off the clinical dietitian side of my brain.

DonRockwell.com: From Stem to Stern.

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DonRockwell.com: From Stem to Stern.

As I say at work, my area of policy expertise is the full cycle from "soil to shit". "Farm to fork" has become too trite for my taste.

If you subscribe to the NYT and love garlic, here's a tasty, easy recipe for broccoli stems:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/health/nutrition/03recipehealth.html?

On the topic of broccoli and dogs, our pup loves (and I mean loves, as in can't set her butt down hard enough or fast enough to be a "good girl") frozen green beans. When we had to put her on special food - which she dislikes - we threw some on, and she ate, no problem. We ran out of green beans at one point, and decided to throw in some cooked broccoli instead. She promptly devoured it to the point where she was moving the bowl across the floor. Without having lekkerwijn's credentials, I believe the only thing you have to be careful of is the high calcium level in it.

They should be fine to eat LOTS of calcium as their natural inclination is to chew on and eat the bones of animals. Based on the Institute of Medicine report I read on pet food, for this reason many vets think dogs don't get enough calcium.

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