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Ayurvedic Recipe: Broccoli Rabe with Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Of the six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent—the bitter taste is very beneficial in the treatment of diabetes due to its ability to help lower blood sugar.

Broccoli rabe, a bitter green, is an excellent source of vitamins A and K and is a good source of Vitamin C, folate, B vitamins, Iron, Magnesium Potassium, Phosphorus, Vitamin E, and manganese. You can add antioxidants to the list for broccoli rabe’s ability to fight free radical damage too.

Recipe: Broccoli Rabe with Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Ingredients

1 head broccoli rabe
1/4–1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds*
2 tsp ghee
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp fenugreek
Juice of one lemon
1/2 c  low or no sodium vegetable broth

Directions

  1. Fill a large pot with water (leaving room to submerge the broccoli rabe).
  2. Bring the water to a boil, submerge the broccoli rabe and cook for two minutes.
  3. Drain the broccoli rabe and set aside.
  4. Heat the ghee in a large pan on low to medium heat.
  5. Add the spices, coating them in ghee for about 30 seconds.
  6. Stir in the broccoli rabe and sauté for about a minute.
  7. Pour in the vegetable broth, squeeze in the lemon, and cook until the broth and lemon are
    heated through, about 1 minute.
  8. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with sunflower seeds.

*Toasted Sunflower Seeds
1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil
1 cup (200 g) unshelled sunflower seeds
Salt to taste

  1. Heat the coconut oil in an 8-inch (20-cm) skillet and over medium heat until the oil has melted and coated the bottom of the pan smoothly. Remove the skillet from the heat.
  2. Add the sunflower seeds to the hot coconut oil and sprinkle with salt to taste. Stir the seeds to coat them evenly in the salt and oil.
  3. Return the skillet to the stove top. Keep the heat set to medium and stir the sunflower seeds constantly to prevent them from burning.
  4. As soon as the seeds begin to show any color, reduce the heat to low. Continue stirring them until the majority of the seeds are a light to medium brown, or until they are toasted according to your preference.​