What Veggies Are Good to Steam With Broccoli?
Steamed broccoli is the healthiest way to prepare this vegetable without it becoming pale or limp. Add other vegetables to the pot with the steaming broccoli and you will enhance the nutritional value of the dish. Opt for vegetables that steam in the same amount of time as broccoli. Since the broccoli stems and florets steam at different rates, you have a wide range of complementary steaming options. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cauliflower
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Cauliflower florets have the same steaming time as broccoli florets. Steaming these two together will take five to six minutes or until the vegetables have a tender texture with a slight crispness when you bite into a sample. The white of cauliflower breaks up the green monotony of a solid green side of just broccoli. This combination of steamed broccoli and cauliflower is used as the base for a red, white and green salad with tomatoes recipe offered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Carrots
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Carrots can be steamed at the same time as broccoli, but they must be whittled down into small enough pieces to shorten their cooking time. Packaged baby carrots from the store are small enough to steam in the same amount of time as a whole broccoli head. A recipe from Tastebook steams baby carrots and a head of broccoli in 15 minutes. The steamed carrots lend a slight sweetness to the normally bitter broccoli, making the dish more palatable for avowed broccoli-haters.
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Squash
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Yellow summer squash, unlike heavier winter squash, has a tender, edible skin. Slice the squash in 1/4 inch thick rounds and steam them with a head of broccoli cut into spears. The smaller cuts of the squash and the larger size of the broccoli spears brings these two vegetables' cooking times to five to eight minutes in a steamer, according to the recipe from Taste of Home. Try this same method with another variety of summer squash such as zucchini squash or round, eight ball squash.
Green Beans and Peppers
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Add green beans and sliced red peppers to the cooking pot of broccoli florets for a burst of color. This vegetable combination is suggested by the Savvy Vegetarian. Steam all the vegetables at the same time for five to 10 minutes or until they are slightly tender while still having a crunch to them. The red and green coloring of this dish make it a good side dish for a Christmas dinner.
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References
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