Broccoli has to be one of the least loved vegetables. When I was younger, my mom had a pretty difficult time feeding me broccoli until I reached my 20's and realized the many benefits associated with it when I started lifting weights.
Even though my dad sometimes cooks for me, I'm the nutritional expert at home and as an expert I know just how important a diet filled with whole grains, greens and lean proteins is to health.
Whether you workout or you don't, I'd strongly advise that you add this very easy to prepare dish to your arsenal.
If anything it will help you become stronger thanks to some lean proteins from the chicken, the vitamin dense broccoli and the fiber dense brown rice which could be replaced with white rice but then it becomes a bit inferior.
Before you start make sure that your chicken and broccoli are cut to bite sizes which makes it easier and quicker to cook.
Plus, do not overcook, since in my personal experience it sucks the nutritional content out of the broccoli.
What you're going to need:
· 2 teaspoons of finely chopped thyme
· 1 cup of brown rice (best quality you can afford obviously)
· ¼ cup of toasted pine nuts
· 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
· 3 cups of vegetable with preferably low sodium content
· Weigh out 8 ounces of boneless chicken. Breast works best cut into ¾ inch cubes
The fun part - cooking
Take ½ cup of water and allow it to reach a simmer preferably over medium heat in a high sided skillet. Then quickly add the sliced onions and garlic. Allow it to cook for 6-7 minutes until they are visibly soft.
Then take the chicken, broth and rice and add that to the mix. Bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat and allow it to slow cook for up to 30 - 40 minutes. I find that slow cooking is ideal for chicken as it preservers the nutritional content.
The broccoli needs to be added at the very end because it cooks really fast. Once the broccoli is added just leave it to cook for 15 minutes. Ideally, you will want the broccoli to remain crunchy.
Finally, take the pot off the flame, cover it up and allow it to stand for a couple of minutes. Then you can stir in the thyme and pine nuts.
There you have it a perfectly healthy meal prepared in just under an hour. Couldn't be easier!
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