If you ask yourself why is broccoli good for you, look no further. I’ll tell you why: broccoli is very rich in phytonutrients, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, folate and fiber. Each of those nutrients is important for the good functioning of our digestive system and for our general well-being. Like all vegetables belonging to the crucifers group, broccoli has been proven to reduce the risk of cancer and of cardiovascular diseases. A study by Jed Fahey of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore showed that three-day-old broccoli sprouts help preventing stomach cancer and ulcers by suppressing Helicobacter Pylori, the bacteria which seems to play a major role in the appearance and evolution of the above mentioned conditions (http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20090406/broccoli-sprouts-good-for-the-gut). However, healthy eating is above all a personal matter, therefore one should always be careful and avoid those foods his body responds negatively to. This is the spirit of the following broccoli casserole recipe, in which most ingredients can be replaced with something else in case your idea of healthy recipes is not overlapping mine.

Ingredients:

• 1 broccoli head, fresh, cut into florets (you know the broccoli is fresh when the florets have a dark green color with a possible tint of brown; if it’s yellowish, it’s not so fresh and you shouldn’t buy it)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (if you use a non-sticky baking dish, you can give up the oil)
• 3 potatoes, sliced 1/2 can peeled and chopped tomatoes in tomato sauce
• 1 cup sweet corn (frozen or canned)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (for a vegan recipe variation, use tofu cheese instead)
• 1 cup bell peppers, chopped (can be a mix of red, green and yellow peppers, for a nicer color mix)
• 3 eggs (vegans can replace eggs with egg substitute)
• 1/2 cup sour cream or low fat yogurt (vegans can use a tofu-based sour cream replacement either homemade or bought)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Cooking method:

Put the potato slices in boiling water with salt and boil them for about 10 minutes. In another pan, boil the broccoli, the corn and the bell peppers for 2-3 minutes. Drain the vegetables after boiling and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Don’t relax yet, though, because you have other things to do while vegetables cool. In a bowl, mix two eggs with the chopped tomatoes and the tomato sauce, then add the shredded cheese to the mixture. If the cheese is salty, don’t add anymore salt. Add ground black pepper according to your taste. Take a casserole dish and sprinkle it with olive oil, then place a layer of potato slices inside. You don’t want perfection, just try to cover as much as you can of the dish bottom. Add the broccoli florets and the rest of the vegetables on top of the potatoes layer, trying to distribute them evenly across the surface. Pour the egg, cheese and tomatoes mix over the dish. Beat the last egg with 1/2 cup of sour cream or low-fat yogurt, add some water (if you prefer, you can use milk or tomato juice instead of water), salt and pepper to taste, then pour it over the vegetables. Cover the dish and put it in the oven. Bake it for 40-45 minutes at 350F. Serve the food hot with sour cream or salsa on top. Leftovers can be served either cold or reheated at the next day’s breakfast.

Vegetable lasagna is the meatless variant of the well-known Italian dish based on sheets-shaped pasta. Curiously enough, the word “lasagna” doesn’t come from Latin or Italian, but from Greek language. Its initial meaning was “chamber pot”. Later on, the word was imported in the Latin language, with the meaning of “cooking pot”. Today, lasagna refers to the food itself rather than the dish used for cooking it. The plural, lasagne, is also used by many Italian people.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 50-60 minutes
Serving: 4 very hungry people or 6 normal ones