I used to hate broccoli growing up. It was like pulling teeth to get me to eat even a small bite. I’m sure I was being extra dramatic. Maybe I was just saving all my vegetable consumption until I was a dietitian?! Who knows. I wish I had known how good vegetables could taste, I was missing out on deliciousness like this broccolini.

Here’s the thing, while I’d love to force people to eat more vegetables, it’s not incredibly effective to be a dictator in that manner. Most people take some time to come around to vegetables. It could be that they don’t like the flavor, texture, color, or even thought of them. Whatever it is, it has to be slowly incorporated into their lives/diets so that they accept it.

That being said, if you don’t eat vegetables I’m not giving you an out or an excuse, I’m just acknowledging your dislike and that it will take time to adjust. The thing is, you must be willing to prioritize your health. Once you’ve done that you will realize that one common recommendation across all diets is to eat more vegetables. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to to get to the things we do want, which in this case is eating vegetables for your health.

Broccolini

Back up, did I even tell you what broccolini is?! Okay, one moment. Broccolini is a form of broccoli and could be in a 3-way tie for my favorite vegetable. It’s actually a hybrid vegetable that is a combo of broccoli and Chinese broccoli/kale. Frankly, kale is not the easiest vegetable to eat (because of texture and taste) so this is a FAR superior vegetable in my opinion.

This is one of those recipes/vegetables that I urge you to try. The flavor is mild, the texture is crunchy yet not impossible to chew and it’s easy to make. Sometimes you have to eat a vegetable to gain health, but feel free to mix it into the rest of your meal if you just hate the thought of eating something green. Trust me, you’ll live.

Easy Weeknight Side Dish

Now, maybe you love vegetables, more power to you. But, either way, it’s a good idea to have some side dishes you know are easy and tasty for weeknights (or whenever). If it’s easy you’ll make it all the time if it’s not, you’ll make time for excuses instead.

I made this while making my gnocchi recipe the other night. At the end of it all, I had 3 items to clean up and a lot of delicious food on the table in under 30 minutes, bonus points for a fast dinner! If you’re like me and love garlic, feel free to add an additional clove or 2 of garlic! You can also double/triple this recipe but I only had one bunch of broccolini otherwise I would’ve made a LOT more!

Pro Tip: You can use this method of cooking with broccolini, broccoli, or cauliflower, your choice!