Hey there! Happy New Year! Gott Nytt År! I hope you're all doing tremendously well. Thanks for standing by while I took a little break - it wasn't my intention to take one, but such is life. And really, if these views were what were to your immediate left and right, would you want to be in front of a computer?
I had a great holiday. I ate a lot. I drank a lot. I did very little else.
I caught up with family and some old friends, and several people marvelled at the pace with which I've maintained my little piece of the internet since starting grad school. Every time someone made a comment along those lines I cringed a little because I knew it had come at a cost. I've been debating taking a bit of a step back from the blog, which, please understand, of all the things I routinely do is probably my most favourite. But it takes time away from other things I *should* be doing. Like school work. Or getting to work on time. Or studying Swedish.
Last year my friend Alison and I declared 2012 to be the year of The Muffin Myth, and I'm so happy with how it went. I'm declaring 2013 to be the year of Katie. This is the year my Swedish goes from functional to fluent. The year I figure out a monster of a thesis project and get going on it. The year I get a job where a day in my life doesn't look like an episode of Real Housewives of somewhere crossed with a scene from Best in Show. So, I need to make some changes. A little less time on Facebook. And Twitter. And Pinterest. And Foodgawker. And.... you get the picture. I'm pretty sure I in fact *can* do it all, I just need to be smart about it. And every once in a while I need to allow myself a little break from this space if I need to catch my breath.
This dish is a lot like catching your breath, especially if you, like me, had a pretty indulgent holiday. It is strikingly simple, fast, seasonal, and incredibly delicious. Broccoli is braised in orange and diced tomatoes spiked with hot pepper flakes and oregano. Once just barely tender it gets finished with a drizzle of good olive oil and some salt and pepper. I've made this numerous times since first coming across the recipe, and have eaten it hot, cold, on it's own, or nestled against a bed of brown rice. You can leave it unadorned, but a sprinkling of chopped almonds, Parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast dresses it up nicely.
Broccoli is good for you, right? It is a great source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, and iron. High broccoli consumption is thought to be beneficial in the prevention of heart disease and some cancers.
One year ago: No Knead Bread
Two years ago: Next Level Hummus
orange braised broccoli
Ingredients
- 500 g broccoli rinsed and broken down into bite sized florets and chunks of stem
- 1 400 g can of diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon chopped almonds optional
- 2 tablespoon shaved Parmesan or nutritional yeast optional
Instructions
- In a medium pot combine diced tomatoes, orange juice, red pepper flakes, and oregano.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add the broccoli.
- Stir so that the braising liquid coats everything, then cover with a lid and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir and check for tenderness, and if the broccoli isn't quite tender, cover again and cook for about 3 minutes more.
- The goal is for the broccoli to be bright green and just barely tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with additional toppings if you like (I'm quite fond of nutritional yeast sprinkled over top). Serve.
emilytakesabreak says
I had a ton of broccoli in the fridge and just did an ingredient search. Yummy dinner. I dished it out on quinoa with some yoghurt on top.
themuffinmyth says
Yum. I also ate a head of broccoli for dinner on Wednesday, but, due to exhaustion, it was a plain head of broccoli steamed in the microwave, and then straight to bed.
Laura T (@TheSpicedLife) says
Broccoli is my favorite part of Chinese Orange Beef so I am totally intrigued by this. Pinning now!
themuffinmyth says
I hope you like it!
Vera Zecevic-Cupcakes Garden says
This is great recipe, look delicious
kellie@foodtoglow says
I've popped your recipe on my computer desktop (curiously old-fashioned these days, I'm sure) to remind me to make these when I finish ploughing through the two gigantic cauliflowers and big bag of chard I just bought 😀
kellie@foodtoglow says
We have broccoli, kale or some other brassica/dark leafy *at least* everyday around here (yes, we are that keen on green, sometimes at breakfast and dinner). But I have never seen this combo - orange, yes. Orange AND tomato, no. On the must make list for this week. And good luck with the self-management. I know what you mean about frittering time. I have a full-time job and a family, and doing the recipe development and blogging does take up considerable time but is now part of my life. I post occasionally on Pinterest but only follow a few folk, I tweet in sporadic bursts, but don't actively seek followers or do any of the extra bits, and I don't Facebook or Foodgawk. I used to do all that but feel better that I have achieved some kind of balance. But I could do better. Yay for the year of Katie!
themuffinmyth says
Yeah, this year needs to be more about finding balance. I love working on this blog and want to make it a priority, so I need to shift some things around and cut out those that are less important, like facebook.
I'm also keen on green at breakfast - green smoothies almost every day! I hope you try this out, the orange tomato combination is surprisingly good. Let me know how you like it!
Leanne says
This looks and sounds delicious, and I need a variation on my regular broccoli routine! This is on deck for next week ... oh, and here's to the Year of Katie! (Though I will miss you here, you gotta do what's right for you!)
themuffinmyth says
I'll still be here! Just trying to be more responsible overall 🙂
themuffinmyth says
Thanks very much for the nomination, it's very kind of you 🙂 As a rule I don't participate in these kind of link exchanges, and based on the rules (less than 200 followers) I don't qualify!
Jess says
Good for you, Katie - I'm glad to hear you'll be taking time for yourself, although I'd be lying if I said I won't miss it if you have less time to post in this space. 😉
themuffinmyth says
Thanks Jess, that's sweet of you to say. I'm hoping that with better time management and less time farting around online I'll be able to do it all. Got any organizational tips to share?
Anne says
Love this recipe! easy peasy. great pics too.
themuffinmyth says
Thanks Anne!
A Table in the Sun says
I'm pretty sure that oranges make everything better. Have you tried reducing your fresh oj? It punches up the flavor even more. Your dish looks fabulous and fresh.
themuffinmyth says
That's a great idea! I'm finding that I can get the 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice by juicing half of a large navel orange. Maybe next time I'll juice the whole thing and let it reduce before adding the tomatoes. Thanks for the suggestion!