Garlic Broccoli (& friends)

I don't know about you but my favorite thing to get at a Chinese restaurant is Garlic Broccoli. It's my favorite way to eat broccoli and it makes me crave it. I decided that I had to find a way to make it at home. This recipe is not only quick and easy, but tastes like it's fresh out of the take out carton of your favorite Chinese restaurant. YUM!

Garlic Broccoli

is ready in 30 min!

serves 4

3 medium heads of broccoli, washed and chopped

1 head of garlic, minced

2 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp powdered ginger

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup sweetener (i use unbleached sugar)

2 tbs corn starch

2 cups of cooked white rice to serve with broccoli

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and add the garlic, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper, and sweetener. Dissolve the cornstarch in 4 tbs of cold water.

Cook the broccoli over high heat, in a large skillet or wok. After 2 min add the garlic sauce and continue cooking for 7-10 min. Add the cornstarch mixture, stir to distribute, and cook for 1 -2 more min until it thickens.

Serve immediately over your already cooked rice.

Reccomendations:

* Use the broccoli stalk! Simply peel it (this makes it nice and tender) and slice it thinly. Try it at least once! It will change the way you eat broccoli.

* You don't have to use all broccoli. I also used carrots, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. I would love to use tofu in this dish. or snow peas. The combinations you can use are endless. Just make sure that you use approx the amount that 3 heads of broccoli would be. Maybe a little less because you want to have lots of sauce.

*If you use honey for your sweetener just remember that it's sweeter per volume than sugar. So go easy.

*Also you can omit the ginger and red pepper flakes if you want. Be especially careful with the ginger though. I used a "fresher" ginger one of the times I made this and it was so strong. I called it ginger broccoli that night. All I'm sayin' is...be careful with the ginger. It can easily over power this dish.

And then you can feel good about feeding it to your little ones because broccoli is full of iron, fiber, potassium, and has a ton of vitamin C, and a ton of Calcium. My little one loves this dish.