Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
It was 22 years ago when I arrived in Canada and chose Calgary, Alberta to be my home. Leaving my family and friends behind, it was a new adventure for me to be in a new country without knowing anyone. That was the time I looked for a Filipino community paper and never found any, [...]
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Page added on April 30, 2013

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Kuya Bong’s Kusina

Broccoli may not be the most enticing vegetable, which proves the saying that, “You should not judge a book by its cover”. It may not be aesthetically appealing but knowing the broccoli health benefits will have you smitten in no time.

Perfect Diet Food

Dieting and losing weight is not exactly the easiest thing to do but things are bound to get easier if you will feast on broccoli everyday. Broccoli has high amount of fiber so by eating a small portion, you would already feel like you have indulged on your meal. Aside from that, broccoli also has high level of protein. This will help you build leaner and stronger muscles and in effect, you can lose more body fat too. So once you start to lose weight, you do not have to worry that you would easily gain it back.

Defense Against Cancer

photo credit: flickr.com/whologwhy

If other types of fruits and vegetables only have one to two components which will help in fighting cancer, this vegetable has a lot. That is why, the broccoli health benefits when it comes to preventing cancer should not be underestimated. The glucoraphanin in broccoli is converted to sulforaphane which works like a natural anti-cancer compound. It also has indole-3-carbinol which is not only a potent antioxidant but also and effective anti-carcinogen. Broccoli may not have strong impact when it comes to hindering the progression of existing cancer but this has proven efficiency when it comes to preventing cancer cells from forming.

Prevention of Osteoporosis

One of the major broccoli health benefits is avoidance of osteoporosis because this has remarkable amount of calcium and Vitamin K. Calcium is the primary building block of bones. It prevents brittleness and maintains proper bone density. Problem is, without Vitamin K, calcium would not be properly absorbed either. That is why, broccoli is ahead of all other types of food when it comes to hindering osteoporosis from striking. It provides the perfect tandem of Calcium and Vitamin K.

Lowering Frequency of Allergy Attack

A lot of people do not realize that one of the broccoli health benefits is its ability to prevent allergic reactions. Broccoli has the component called kaempferol which prevents allergies from being triggered. Since asthma is also a form of allergy, this vegetable will also benefit those who are suffering from this ailment.

Reduces Arthritis Pain

Instead of shoving in too many Ibuprofens in your mouth if arthritis begins to strike again, it is better to just increase your daily intake of broccoli. The isothiocyanates is a phytonutrient that negates inflammation. When inflammation is not so bad then it also means that pain would not be so horrible either.

Detoxification

Aside from the fact that broccoli has high amount of fiber, it also contains glucoraphanin, gluconasturtiin and glucobrassicin. These three are essential for the body to be naturally capable of cleansing itself. With the presence of these phytonutrients, elimination of toxins would occur more regularly. Hence, it is easier to prevent build up of toxins which could eventually trigger a myriad of health problems.

Beef with Broccoli is an Asian beef main dish. As the name suggests, this dish is mainly comprised of beef and broccoli combined with different sauces for that delightful Asian flavor.This simple recipe is so easy to follow. I would suggest though that you use beef sirloin or tenderloin to
ensure that your dish will come-out tender. If in case you don’t have them around and opted for another less tender beef part, it would help if you slice the meat thinly and pound it with a meat pounder.

Try this Beef with Broccoli recipe

Beef with Broccoli Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb beef sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
2 cups broccoli, chopped
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
3 cups water (for blanching)
Sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ beef cube dissolved in ½ cup water

Marinade

2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon rice wine
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Procedure

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl then marinate the beef for at least 20 minutes
In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce and stir well. Set aside
Pour the water in a cooking pot and let boil.
Blanch the broccoli for a minute.
Remove the broccoli from the cooking pot and soak in ice water for 10 to 20 seconds then drain excess water. Set aside
Apply high heat on a wok or a frying pan then pour-in cooking oil when the pan is really hot.
Put-in the beef and arrange so that all the slices directly touches the pan. Allow to cook for a minute.
Flip the beef and allow the other side to cook then put-in the garlic and cook for a minute.
Pour-in the sauce and bring to a boil.
Add the broccoli and cook for a minute.
Stir-in the cornstarch (diluted in water) and cook until the sauce thickens.
Serve hot with rice. Share and enjoy!

Here is another vegetable soup recipe that you might be interested in. Cheesy Broccoli soup is a thick soup made from chopped broccoli, fresh milk, and grated sharp cheddar cheese.

I like the taste of melted cheese combined with milk while the presence of broccoli assures me that this soup is healthy.

This soup is great to have during cold rainy days with some toasted bread at the side. Try this healthy soup recipe and let me know what you think.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup Recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cups milk
3/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 ounces broccoli, chopped

Cooking Procedure

Heat a cooking pan and put-in the butter. Let the butter melt.
Add-in the onions and cook until it becomes soft.
Put-in the flour and stir while cooking.
Pour-in the milk and let boil. Simmer for 2 minutes in medium heat.
Add the ground black pepper and stir.
Put-in the broccoli then cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the cheese and stir until it melts.
Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

Kuya Bong’s Kusina

Perfect Diet Food

Defense Against Cancer

Prevention of Osteoporosis

Lowering Frequency of Allergy Attack

Reduces Arthritis Pain

Detoxification

Beef with Broccoli Recipe

Ingredients

Cooking Procedure

Cheesy Broccoli Soup Recipe

Ingredients

Cooking Procedure

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