Being a good vegetarian, I am a HUGE fan of vegetables! Somewhat oddly, I usually find myself craving veggies instead of "normal" scrumptious foods like chocolate, ice cream, etc.  Some of my favorite veggies fall into a group called the cruciferous vegetables.  This group includes broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy,  kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.  These are most vegetables that people look at and say, "Okay... so what?" The key with these delicious and VERY nutritious vegetables is to prepare them properly to enhance natural flavors, not cover them up! One of the usual dishes at our family reunions was the classic cauliflower salad... a medley of chunks of raw cauliflower, onions, and black olives smothered in mayonnaise.  This was always my LEAST favorite dish, because the cauliflower tasted like chunks of drywall and I knew that the mayonnaise was loaded with saturated fats.  My view on cauliflower has recently changed when I learned how to healthfully prepare it and make it fabulously delicious!
So what are some of the health benefits of the cruciferous vegetables? According to WebMD, a reputable online medical resource, these vegetables are high in vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.  With the increasing rates of cancer we are seeing in today's healthcare facilities, one cannot help but be frightened.  But antioxidants have been proven to rid your body of dangerous free-radicals that can cause damage to cells and potentially lead to their transformation into a source of malignancy.  They also have tremendous anti-inflammatory properties.  These can be of great benefit to people that suffer from inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, and even seasonal allergies.  Now, I am not saying that if you eat solely cabbage for the next thirty years you are guaranteed to be healthy; you still need appropriate amounts of other vitamins and minerals provided by other food groups such as fruits, grains, and organic dairy products.  But adding cruciferous vegetables to the regular dinner menu can really enhance your body's state of well-being.  Let me share with you how I prepare some of my favorite cruciferous veggies!

Kale

Kale is a beautiful bright leafy green that comes in large bunches in the produce section.  Raw kale has a very pungent bitter taste, so I find it rarely good in salads or by itself.  I like to saute kale in just a little bit of hot extra virgin olive oil (which has nutrition value on its own!) with a tiny bit of kosher salt and black pepper.  Before preparing, be sure to wash it really well and cut the leaves off of the stalks.  The stalks are very tough and chewy and can really put a damper on your delicious kale leaves.  Chop the leaves into 1-2 inch segments and throw into the hot oil.  Stir in salt (which you should skip if you have high blood pressure or sodium!) and pepper.  Saute just until the leaves have wilted, and you have a wonderfully flavorful veggie that can be a side dish to almost anything!

Broccoli

My favorite way to prepare broccoli is to lightly steam it (crowns AND stems) with a dash of salt and pepper.  Steaming it will bring out the natural flavor and break down the fibrous elements so you get a nice texture.  However, if you steam it too long you will deplete the broccoli of its nutrients, and make it mushy :( Steam it until it is just tender enough to stick your fork into and then remove it from the heat and enjoy!  You can also substitute a little grated Parmesan cheese for the salt, which adds some saltiness and a beautiful nutty flavor to the broccoli.  If you like your broccoli raw, then kudos to you! Just remember that if you prefer it in a dipping sauce like ranch dressing or sour cream, while you may be getting the full nutritional value of the broccoli, you're also getting all the calories and saturated fat from the dips that can be more harmful than anything.

Cauliflower

Oh, the dreaded cauliflower.  I got a fantastic recipe from my friend and former-employer Catherine Ruehle.  Formerly a bakery owner, after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis she changed career paths to become a health and wellness consultant in order to help people make smarter and healthier food choices.  This original recipe is on her website, a-well-nourished-life.com, but I will share it here as it is my FAVORITE recipe I have found in a long time! You can customize it as much or as little as you like; you know you better than anybody! First cut the cauliflower up into bite-sized chunks and begin to saute in a little hot extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.  Once the cauliflower is nicely light brown on all sides, squeeze a little lemon juice into the pan and cover so that the cauliflower steams in the lemon juice.  How much you use depends on your taste; I like things a little more acidic, so I use about a half lemon's worth of juice for one serving of cauliflower.  Steam until the cauliflower is tender enough to pierce with a fork, but not mushy! Then at the very end, add in salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme (these two spices are optional, but just enhances the flavor that much more), and minced garlic to your taste.  I also like to add capers if I have them, but this is definitely optional.  This recipe is fabulous because you can taste the wonderful nutty quality of the cauliflower, but it has a much more pleasant texture than raw cauliflower does! And the lemon juice and spices jazz it up and help really highlight the cauliflower as the star it is.

Well, I hope that some of these super easy ideas motivate you to try and fall in love with cruciferous veggies as much as I have! I'm still working on the Brussels sprouts; I haven't gotten them exactly perfect yet, but I will let you know when I do.  Happy cooking!