I love a good mushy caramelized vegetable, especially spiked with ginger. This recipe will make you love broccoli. Even (most) kids love this. The secret is to sautée the broccoli fleurettes with a lot of olive oil (lipids increase the absorption of nutrients in vegetables!) and grated ginger until they become caramelized. I like to cook the broccoli as long as patience allows, for about 30 minutes, until they’ve reduced in half and are crispy at spots. The turkey meatballs mirror the broccoli as they’re infused with quite a punch of ginger. This recipe is also perfect for sensitive stomachs. The high fibre content in the broccoli helps to balance the digestive system. The mushy vegetable cooking method and the ground turkey meat also make for faster digestion along with the stomach soothing ginger. This is one of my favorite comfort/sick day recipes or when I just need an extra dose of energy. Broccoli is a super food charged with a range of nutrients and antioxydants and the turkey offers a large dose of protein and essential B-vitamins.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 (big) head of broccoli (or 2 small)

2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil

20g/0.7oz ginger, grated

1 tablespoon (15ml) balsamic vinegar

28oz/800g ground turkey

Coriander/basil to garnish

Salt and pepper

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC.

Divide the broccoli into small fleurettes. Heat a pan on high and then add the olive oil. Add the broccoli to the pan, along with half the grated ginger, salt and pepper.

Sautée the broccoli until it becomes soft and tender, reduces in size by half, and becomes slightly charred and caramelized. When the broccoli begins to stick to the pan, add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze. Sautée the broccoli for about 30 minutes. Add the coconut cream towards the end and let it absorb.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey with salt and pepper (to your liking) and add the rest of the grated ginger. Wet your hands to prevent sticking, and form the turkey into meatballs. Place the meatballs on a greased baking dish and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to keep the gravy and add it to the broccoli sautée!

Reheat the broccoli and top with the turkey meatballs and serve with a garnish of pepper and fresh coriander or basil.