Some who ask for nutrition help are really big into rice. Whether it’s cultural or just preference, they haven’t been affected by the carb-phobia fad. Whenever someone asks me my opinion of rice, I just give them the facts: “For that amount of calories, there’s a lot better you could be eating.” Some people switch to something like quinoa, which provides more nutrients, but others are still worried about it being calorie-dense.

It occurred to me that I don’t much care for the tiny pieces of broccoli, the “leaves” on the florets (called “buds”), and that maybe I could turn them into a rice substitute. I removed them from the stems and came up with a total of 1.25 cups. With this, I made two dishes to see if it could be as versatile as rice. I boiled it in some water with 1 teaspoon psyllium husk fiber powder to make up for the lack of gluten in the broccoli. That’s all it took.

Ingredients

Broccoli buds, 1.25 cups

Psyllium husk fiber, 1 teaspoon

Instructions

In a pot with some water, simmer the broccoli and fiber together until broccoli buds are cooked. This should take about three minutes and you’ll know they’re ready because the green color intensifies. Remove from heat, let sit five minutes. Carefully remove buds/fiber from water. I used a spoon and drained water as I transferred the drained buds/fiber to a bowl, but a cheesecloth would also work.

Nutritional Comparison (Rice vs Buds+Fiber)

Calories: 270 vs 50

Fat: 2.3g vs 0.4g

Carbohydrates: 56.3g vs 10.2g

Fiber: 4.4g vs 5.2g

Sugar: 0.9g vs 2g

Protein: 6.3g vs 3.3g

Vitamin A: 0% vs 14.2%

Vitamin C: 0% vs 169.2%

Calcium: 2.4% vs 6.3%

Iron: 2.1% vs 1.5%

Note: For this calculation, I used NOW brand psyllium fiber. Your fiber may vary.

I halved the recipe and made these:

Black Bean Bowl







Season the broccoli “rice” with coriander, cumin, and lime juice to taste. Add cooked black beans, skinless chicken breast, 1/8 cup avocado, 1 tablespoon plain unsweetened yogurt, and a little hot sauce.

“Sushi”

Mix in 1 teaspoon vinegar and some shredded seaweed. Form into rectangles and top with something you enjoy (all I had on-hand for this picture was canned tuna).