Broccoli salad with a twist

heart health and disease prevention, and in our quest to eat one pound of raw veggie per day, this is a winner.

There are a lot of variations to broccoli salad, but this is the first I have seen that used the food processor to reduce the broccoli to rice size.

Do you really need another broccoli salad recipe?

You might think not, but with broccoli being a cruciferous vegetable rich in antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds that may also offer several benefits, especially for eye health,

Seriously, when I saw it called for two medium heads (about 10 cups), I almost stopped because, what is a medium head, and how do you measure broccoli by the cup? I wanted to make a half batch of this salad to try it out, so I ended up with 4 cups of broccoli after pulsing, and I’m guessing it would have been about 3 cups for the half size recipe if I had pulsed it to rice size. I omitted the mint because we aren’t crazy about it in food. We ate it right away for dinner and it was tasty — but the next day after all the ingredients got to know each other, it was even better. It’s one of those recipes you can adjust for what you have on hand: seeds or nuts instead of almonds, cherries or raisins instead of cranberries. I really enjoyed the smaller size of the broccoli and will make it again.

Ingredients for full batch:

2 medium heads raw or parboiled broccoli (about 10 cups, 6-7 cups after pulsing)

30 ounces chickpeas (2 15-ounce cans), drained and rinsed

2 large bell peppers, small diced

4 green onions, thinly sliced

A Complete Retirement Community

THE CEDARS 14409 Sunrise Court

Leo, IN 46765

Phone: (260) 627-2191 www.thecedarsrc.com

Complete Retirement Amenities: Skilled & Intermediate Long Term Nursing Care, Assisted & Residential Apartments, Total Rehab Unit, Villa Of The Cedars With Condominium Homes - “Come To The Country”

2/3 cup sliced almonds or slivered, toasted (optional)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

10 large mint leaves, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup minced parsley

1. Rice the florets: Place the broccoli florets in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the broccoli resembles grains of rice (about 3 to 4 times). Transfer them to a large bowl.

2. Transfer the chickpeas, peppers, green onion, almonds, dried cranberries, mint and parsley to the bowl with the broccoli.

3. Add dressing of choice. I made an oil-free Tahini dressing, but I would also say that a Vidalia onion or honey mustard would be tasty.

Recipe by cookingforpea-

ASSISTED, INDEPENDENT LIVING & NURSING CARE

LIFE CARE CENTER OF FORT WAYNE

1649 Spy Run Avenue Fort Wayne, IN 46805

Phone: (260) 422-8520 www.lifecarecenteroffortwaynein.com nuts.com.

Newly remodeled facility, top-of-the-line service for rehab patients. Rapid rehab program, separate wing with 30 rehab suites — private single bed for short-term patients. Medicare, Medicaid & insurances accepted.

Cat Wilson lives in South Bend and transitioned from a vegetarian diet to eating a plant-based diet over two years ago. She may be contacted at cwilson@thepapers.com.

Attendant And Companion Services

JENNI’S IN HOME CARE LLC

Phone: (260) 760-1546 jennisinhomecare@gmail.com

We offer non-medical services to individuals in their homes, Alzheimers and Dementia, Companionship, Respite, Custom Services to fi t your needs.

Audiology

CARTER HEARING CLINICS

1335 Getz Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46804

NORTHEAST:

3136 Goeglein Rd., Suite A

Phone: (260) 436-6400 or (877) 436-6401 www.carterhearingclinics.com

• Creating A Higher Standard of Care

• Board certified audiologists by the American Board of Audiology serving Fort Wayne since 1967

• Offices located in Fort Wayne, Auburn, Angola and Decatur.

PROVIDING

• Hearing Evaluations, Hearing Aids, Assistive Listening Devices and Auditory Training

• FREE TRIAL HEARING AID PROGRAM

Skilled Nursing, Long Term Care, Hospice, Respite

Attendant And Companion Services

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS, LET US HELP YOU HELP YOURSELF @ HOME LLC

SWISS VILLAGE, INC.

1350 W. Main St.

Berne, IN 46711

Phone: (260) 589-3173 www.swissvillage.org

Duplex Homes, Independent Living Apartments, Residential & Assisted Living, Short Term Private Rehab Suites, Healthcare & Dementia Care, State Of The Art Wellness Pavilion, And Intergenerational Programming

2478 Lake Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Phone: (260) 387-6369 www.homecareisheart.net

Licensed Home Care/Member of IN Assc. Home & Hospice Care

There’s no place like home to receive compassionate care that tends to the whole person. Body, Mind, and Spirit. Non Medical attendant and companion services for disabled individuals and older adults. Children as well.