Do you feel robbed/Rabe'd of nutrients?

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I tried tying a pun into the title but if you don't know broccoli rabe you probably don't know the pronunciation for "rabe" sounds like rob.  Anyway, guess what?  The Sullivan household tried our new veggie for the week and drumroll please it was broccoli rabe or a.k.a. rapini.  We have actually bought this vegetable before and let it spoil.  No chance this time.  We picked it up from the grocery store and cooked it tonight without a recipe in our hands.  Quite daring, for me at least. 

When picking out the new produce for the week I knew we were eating an egg casserole crockpot meal.  I wanted a side for dinner but didn't want anything heavy or too many carbs as there is bread in the casserole.  In my thoughts I was trying to think breakfast like items.  Fruit was a possibility but I kind of wanted a vegetable.  As I was cruising through the produce section I was looking for what jumped out.  There it was Brocolli Rabe next to the fresh greens and leeks and peppers.  We have had this on our list to try as we have seen several cooking shows use it in their recipes. 

A green seemed like a perfect side.  Now how to prepare it.  I have heard that it isn't a bad idea to blanche greens to rid them of their initial overwhelming bitterness.  Plus the instructions said to rinse well.  I stuck our broccoli rabe in a big bowl with cold water for about twenty minutes and then used a colander to rinse and let it dry a bit before cooking.  Next how to prepare a vegetable I have never had the pleasure of tasting.  Both my hubby and I agreed the stems looked a bit woody for consumption.  Think ends of asparagus.  So we chopped off the thick stems.  I then chopped through the leaves, mini stems, and what looks like little brocolli clumps or florets would probably be a better choice of description.  As I was chopping I shouted out to my husband that they reminded me of weeds.  His response in a sarcastic voice "Sounds delicious.  I can't wait!"  Don't let the sarcastic tone fool you though - he loves when I take charge in the kitchen.  The man eats tofu if it will get me behind the stove :) 

So where are we?  That's right I have chopped up weeds on my cutting board.  I said weeds because the leaves remind me of those thistle weeds that pop up in yards.  They have those jagged edges that sometimes look like spikes.  I decided the easiest way to prepare the green vegetable would be to wilt/saute.  I first paired the green vegetable with a few of our house favorites.  Thinking the green would be a tad bitter especially as brocolli rabe (or rapini) in its raw state has a dark green tone.  I did nibble a bit of the vegetable in its raw state.  It was pretty mild.  I thought the floret portion would remind of brocolli and it was too mild to have that brocolli flavor.  Quite earthy, a tad bitter, but really felt the flavor was closer to a mild lettuce.  This may be from the little bit of  the "soaking" we did.  I wanted a sweeter vegetable to combine it with our green.  I don't know about you but in egg dishes we like caramelized onions and cooked mushrooms.  So I started sauteing diced onions and sliced mushrooms.  If you want to branch out and try new produce;  never be afraid to combine them with flavors you already know you enjoy.  I then deglazed the pan (or added liquid to pull away the cooked bits) with a thimble full of white wine.  Another way to add a dash of flavor and sweetness.   Dumped in the chopped up rapini and let it wilt down. After wilting the leaves, the brocolli rabe takes on this gorgeous bright green hue.  I did include a picture of the final outcome at the top.   I think the whole dish took less than twelve minutes ( minus the soaking and draining time) to prepare.  At the end I added a little bit of salt and cayenne.  At first bite I wanted to add some sweetness.  I actually considered a drop of maple syrup as it was a breakfast side.  But waited to let the vegetables cool a tish.  And I was really glad I didn't add that sweet flavor.  The greens worked really well with the "heaviness" of the egg dish.   

After cooking my version I looked up the vegetable on the web for some nutrition tidbits and noticed that a lot of recipes encourage the saute method.  Its pretty easy and quite tasty; just mix in a couple other produce items to add some texture and a spice or two to highlight the flavors and you've got own version of this brocolli rabe dish. 

Here is a quick nutrition plug of why broccoli rabe is good for you (low in calories with some great vitamins).  I found the following nutrition information at : http://sarah-zahn.suite101.com/what-is-broccoli-rabe-a165036 which also gives some more tips on how to eat this kitchen friendly veggie.

Nutrients Found in Broccoli Raab

Broccoli Rabe is highly nutritious and contains many of the same cancer-fighting elements as its cruciferous relatives. It is high in phytochemicals such as sulforaphane and indoles, which are believed to help the body naturally defend itself against certain cancers.
It has a mere 20 calories per one cup raw, 3 grams of protein and 72 mg of vitamin C and 7.6 mg of beta-carotene. It is also a good source of vitamins A and K as well as potassium.

I have to admit I am quite proud of myself. I actually conceptualized a dish without too much background information.  I did make a mess in the kitchen because I am still working out my chefly kinks.  It reminded me that once upon a time I was pretty good at thinking on my feet and ready to take whatever came my way.  Its been awhile since I have had the confidence to stay standing.  It has been a lot easier to hide my head in the sand, bow my head, or turn my back.  This felt like me taking a little bit of a stand and saying to the world "Let's go!" 

May your healthfull journey find surprising ways to pat you on the back and allow you freedom to roam.  Who knows you may stumble upon a new path or find a familiar one from long ago. 'Til we meet again. . .