Easy Asian Broccoli

Tender Asian Broccoli smothered in a rich, thick sauce. Insanely simple to make, ready in less than 30 minutes and full of flavour. 

A few years ago I would never have dreamt of creating a whole meal around a humble head of broccoli. I think most of us grow up conditioned to think that a meal has to revolve around meat which is so sad. Hopefully, with the recent announcement from the World Health Organization about certain meats causing cancer this view point might change and gradually more and more people will discover the joys of a plant-based diet.

I am certainly loving my plant-based journey which has been kind of taken over by Asian style flavours recently. Pair those Asian flavours with broccoli in a quick, easy meal with a multitude of health benefits and I am very happy.

As well as tasting great, broccoli is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. It is also full of calcium and contains more protein per calorie than steak (Dr. Scott Stoll). Broccoli’s combination of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification properties make it a unique food in terms of cancer prevention. It has been shown to lower your risk of contracting ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.

Take full advantage of all these wonderful health benefits by making this Easy Asian Broccoli for dinner very soon. It truly is a  dish that the whole family will love. Broccoli is such a satisfying vegetable to eat and is taken to new heights when it is smothered in my Asian style sauce. With only eight ingredients, it takes literally minutes and next to no effort to put together. It is great served on a bed of rice, quinoa or noodles and also makes a great side. Add a sprinkle of cashew nuts for delicious texture!

It seems that my Brussels Sprout & Cashew Nut Fried Rice has been pretty popular this week and I have enjoyed seeing your pictures and reading your feedback. I would love it if you do the same with my Easy Asian Broccoli! I am @avirtualvegan on both Twitter and Instagram. Add the hashtag #avirtualvegan on Instagram so your pictures save to my page.

If you love Asian style flavours then be sure to check out my Creamy Mango Asian Dressing!

Easy Asian Style Broccoli

Tender broccoli smothered in a rich, thick Asian style sauce. Insanely simple to make, ready in less than 30 minutes and full of flavour.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Entree, Main

Cuisine: gluten-free, vegan

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Makes: 2 servings

Calories: 296kcal

Author: Melanie McDonald

Ingredients

• 1 medium head of broccoli
• 5½ tablespoons | 1/3 cup of cashew or almond butter
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped very finely
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (sub apple cider vinegar if you don't have any)
• 60mls | 1/4 cup Tamari (sub coconut aminos or soy sauce if you don't have this)
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes or a small fresh birds eye chilli chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 120mls | 1/2 cup water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Wash the broccoli and cut up into large bite size pieces. (I used the florets and the stalks)
• Add all of the other ingredients to an oven proof dish and whisk together. It will look a bit lumpy but thats fine.
• Add the broccoli and stir well to coat in the sauce.
• Cover the dish and bake for about 20 minutes until the broccoli is tender (test with a fork) and the sauce has thickened.
• Stir well before serving

Estimated nutrition per serving:

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 27% | Vitamin C: 303% | Calcium: 12% | Iron: 19%

Tried this recipe?Tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan

This recipe has been entered into the Meat Free Monday link party over at tinnedtomatoes.com