Broccoli mushroom casserole

Broccoli is a misunderstood vegetable. Our world seems to have a collective dislike of broccoli: cue movies with little kids going "yuuuk!" and mom characters yell "eat your broccoli!" Well no one likes that negative association, duh. Broccoli doesn't have any strong pungent taste, it can be a delicious dinner item, as long you put some effort into it rather than boiling or steaming the thing. I happen to like broccoli: florets, stems and all. to mix it up tonight, I'm making broccoli mushroom casserole. 

Broccoli is rich in vitamin C and folate. It's dark green, crunchy, and has lots of water and fibre. Florets are good and all, but the stems are just as delicious, infact I really do love the crunchiness of the stems. The skin can get a bit tough and hard to chew, so I just peel it to reveal the crunchy but tender insides of the stem - it's so good!

What you need:

- 1 bunch broccoli, clean to include both stem and florets

- 1/2 onion, sliced

- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

- 2 eggs

- 1 can of mushroom/1 carton of fresh sliced mushroom/ 1 can of mushroom soup

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 cup mayo

- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard

- 1/2 cup of grated cheddar

- 1/4 cup of mixed green onion and cilantro - chopped

- 2 slices of marble rye bread, broken into crouton/bite sized pieces

- 1 tbsp of butter, melted

- 1 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder

Recipe:

- blanch the broccoli pieces, and set aside. This step pre-cooks the veggie a bit so it cooks faster/evenly later.

- mix 2 eggs, mayo, cheese, mushroom pieces, sliced onions, garlic, dijon mustard, green onion/cilantro, salt and pepper together. You can use canned mushroom, cream of mushroom soup, or fresh sliced mushrooms. They taste bit different and you may have to adjust the salt level depends on what you use. I had a can of sliced mushrooms so I went with that.

- butter or oil your bakeware, I used an 8 x10 glass pan.

- pour broccoli pieces in first, then pour the cheese/mayo mix on top, spread evenly.

- melt butter in a small bowl, add garlic and onion powders, mix well.

- toss the bread pieces on top evenly. Pour the melted butter/garlic powder/onion powder mix over everything.

- bake at 375F for 30 min.

If you had to make something with broccoli one day this week, or if you still have your mom yelling at you for not eating your vegetables, why not try this one? This dish is garlicy, creamy, crunchy, and the nice little bread croutons and top are full of garlic butter and wonderful. Give broccoli a chance, I think it's time.