Recipe by Bailey Campbell

Forward by Smart Solutions

Looking for ways to sneak more veggies into your day? Look no further – we’ve got the answer. Packed with healthy veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, and bell pepper, you can feel good about nourishing your body with this meal.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are beneficial for hormonal health. Broccoli sprouts are high in sulphoraphane, a phytochemical that has been proven to stimulate production of detoxification enzymes that eliminate environmental estrogens.¹

Also rich in vitamins E, C, K and minerals such as iron, zinc, selenium, broccoli is a true superfood.²

For an added nutritional boost, we’ve included sweet potato which has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-aging effects, and more!³

With a creamy pesto to top it all off, this dish makes for a fresh and tasty dinner that will have you going back for seconds.

Ingredients:

• ½ head cauliflower
• 1 small head broccoli
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1 red bell pepper
• ½ cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups brown rice pasta
• Salt + pepper

Pesto:

• ¼ cup pine nuts, roasted
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 ¼ cup packed basil leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt + pepper + red chili flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Chop up cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato, red bell pepper and kalamata olives. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add all the chopped vegetables. Drizzle with olives oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix by hand to ensure all vegetables are covered. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once at the 15-minute mark.
2. In a food processor, add the pine nuts, broccoli florets, basil leaves, garlic cloves, and parmesan cheese. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add the lemon juice and olive oil and blend on high until everything is combined well. Season with salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.
3. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and add back into pot. If you like thinner pesto, reserve some pasta water to add back into pot as well. Add the roasted vegetables and the pesto. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve with parmesan cheese, red chili flakes and basil leaves.

Instagram Handle: @basicswithbails

References:

1. Houghton C. A. (2019). Sulforaphane: Its "Coming of Age" as a Clinically Relevant Nutraceutical in the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Disease. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2019, 2716870. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2716870
2. Vasanthi, H. R., Mukherjee, S., & Das, D. K. (2009). Potential health benefits of broccoli- a chemico-biological overview. Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry, 9(6), 749–759. https://doi.org/10.2174/138955709788452685
3. Wang, S., Nie, S., & Zhu, F. (2016). Chemical constituents and health effects of sweet potato. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.), 89(Pt 1), 90–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2016.08.032