3 broccoli and cauliflower recipes to help protect against colds and flu this autumn

cauliflower and lime tacos

Credit: Getty

Strong Women


3 broccoli and cauliflower recipes to help protect against colds and flu this autumn

By Anna Bartter

2 years ago

6 min read

It’s that time of year again when coughs and sneezes are everywhere. Try these three veggie recipes developed to support respiratory health and ease colds and flu symptoms. 


Ugh, cold and flu season. It seems wherever we go – bus, Tube, office – there are people coughing and spluttering, meaning our chances of catching something are high, to say the least. We can’t control people sneezing around us, but the good news is that we can make sure we’re as healthy as possible for when the inevitable happens – and a healthy, balanced diet can prime our immune systems and bodies when infection strikes.

Research shows that cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale can help to maintain a healthy lung barrier and ease infections – great news for exactly this time of year. And they’re packed full of other nutrients too, helping to reduce our risk of cancer while supporting our gut health. 

Try these three delicious, nutritionist-approved recipes, all designed to support respiratory health. 

Lime cauliflower tacos with cabbage slaw

cauliflower and lime tacos

Credit: Getty

“Cauliflower is a much-underrated vegetable, but is packed full of nutrients,” says personal trainer and nutrition coach Sarah Campus. “It’s high in fibre, helping to support digestion, and is a great source of vitamins B, C and K. These tacos are a delicious way to enjoy cauliflower, and the slaw is an extra nutritional win.”

Ingredients

For the lime cauliflower

1 large head of cauliflower (or 2 smaller ones)

350ml water or vegetable broth

60ml lime juice

60ml soy sauce

1–4 tablespoons hot sauce

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chilli powder

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1½ tablespoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons salt

60ml extra virgin olive oil

For the cabbage coleslaw

½lb red cabbage (green is also fine)

2 large carrots, peeled

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

For serving

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 corn tortillas (3 per person)

1 - 2 ripe avocados, peel and seed removed and cut into bite-size chunks

Sour cream

Your favourite salsa or hot sauce (optional)

Method

For the lime cauliflower

  1. Break the cauliflower florets into small-ish pieces. The basic idea is that they will pile into a tortilla in small enough pieces that they’re easy to eat. Add the florets to a medium size saucepan and add the broth or water, lime juice, soy sauce, hot sauce, and garlic. Stir to combine.
  2. Set the pan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring the cauliflower in the marinade every once in a while.
  3. While the cauliflower marinates, preheat the oven to 200°C and line a large-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Add the chilli powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and ¼ cup of olive oil to a small bowl and stir to combine.
  5. Drain the cauliflower in a colander set inside the sink then return it to the saucepan. Add the spice mixture and stir to coat the cauliflower in the spices. Spread it out in an even layer onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
  6. Roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes, stirring it around on the baking sheet halfway through baking. While the cauliflower bakes, make the coleslaw.

For the cabbage coleslaw

  1. Slice the cabbage into very thin slices that are no more than 3-inches long. Add it to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Peel the carrots and shred in a food processor or with a hand-held cheese grater. Add to the mixing bowl.
  3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the lime juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine then pour over the vegetables. Toss the vegetables in the dressing and set aside. (You can make the slaw up to 2 days in advance. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.)

To serve

  1. Pour the vegetable oil into a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of one tortilla with oil and set it on a microwave-safe plate. Brush one side of a second corn tortilla with vegetable oil and set it, oil side up, on top of the first. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Cover the tortilla stack with a damp paper towel and place in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds at half power. Check to see if they are warm and heat for a bit longer if necessary.
  2. Set out the tortillas, roasted cauliflower, coleslaw, sour cream, avocados and salsa (if using), letting everyone build their own tacos.

Watercress and smoked mackerel soup

“Hardly any other crop grown and commonly sold in the UK has the nutrient density of watercress,” says award-winning registered nutritionist Dr Lucy Williamson. “Watercress contains more than 50 vital vitamins and minerals. Gram for gram, the plant contains more vitamin C than oranges – which helps us to absorb the iron in the watercress more efficiently, more folate than banana and more vitamin E than broccoli. It’s packed with antioxidants, so it’s rocket fuel for our gut-health, while also being rich in vitamin A (from beta-carotene) and contains useful amounts of vitamin K, vitamin B6, potassium and iodine.”

Watercress and smoked mackerel soup

Credit: The Watercress Co

Ingredients

Knob of butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 large potato, peeled and diced

3 large bunches of watercress

400ml chicken or vegetable stock

3 tbsp horseradish sauce

Crème fraîche

2 smoked mackerel fillets, skinned

Crispy onions, olive oil and flaked sea salt to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Add the knob of butter to a large saucepan over a medium heat. When it has melted, add the onion and garlic. Reduce the heat and allow to gently sauté for 5 minutes. Add the potato and put the lid on the pan so it gently sweats for 10 further minutes.
  2. Stir in the watercress and pour in the stock. Blend in a food processor or with a stick blender until velvety smooth. Stir through the horseradish sauce and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring the soup back up to temperature before serving.
  3. Ladle the soup into bowls and flake generous hunks of smoked mackerel across the centre of each serving. Finally, swirl over a spoonful of horseradish sauce, olive oil, crispy onions and flakes of sea salt.

Cabbage, broccoli and white bean bowl

“This is such a nourishing recipe,” says Campus. “Broccoli is a star vegetable, packed full of vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Broccoli’s benefits include helping reduce inflammation, keeping blood sugar stable and strengthening the immune system.”

Broccoli bowl

Credit: Getty

Ingredients 

2 vegetable stock cubes

1½ tsp red pepper paste (or your favourite hot sauce)

450g white cabbage, chopped into large chunks

450g bite-size pieces of broccoli

3 baby bok choy cut in quarters

350g brussels sprouts (green outer leaves only, you can save the white centre for something else)

350g white turnips cut into thin bite-size wedges

250g rocket

300g cooked white beans or firm tofu

Bonito flakes (optional)

Lime juice (optional)

Method 

  1. In a large pot bring vegetable stock to a boil, season with chilli paste. 
  2. Add the cabbage, cauliflower leaves, and bok choy. Return broth to a boil then add remaining ingredients, except bonita flakes. 
  3. Cook 2 to 3 more minutes or until turnips are tender. The whole cooking process should take no longer than 5 minutes.
  4. Divide into bowls and top with the bonito flakes, if using. 

Images: Getty; The Watercress Co

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