The Crispiest, Cheesiest Air Fried Broccoli

This week a have a very cheesy broccoli recipe for you! You can use it as a side to a meal or make it as a fun snack.

Before we jump into that crispy goodness, I wanted to see if any of you have been experiencing some not so great symptoms from your added vegetables? Have you been experiencing more gas, bloating, or constipation since increasing your vegetable consumption these last few weeks?

Paying attention to your digestive symptoms gives you important clues 👀into your metabolism and how your body responds to certain foods. Once I notice a symptom hanging around for 3 days or more, I start to get curious and not brush those off. If you've noticed changes in your digestive system, listen up.

There is no doubt that vegetables are full of nutrients that your body needs. However, we all know too much of anything is not a good thing.

For example, I have been encouraging everyone in this Healthy & Beyond Community to aim for 5-7 serving of vegetables per day. This is a great goal to have and will benefit your body long term, although I want to mention how to actually implement this goal without negative digestive symptoms occurring.

🌟You should slowly add 1-2 servings of vegetables in per day every 1-2 weeks until you are up to 5-7 servings total per day to allow your body to adjust. An increase in fiber and certain vegetable properties, especially in cruciferous vegetables can have your body in major digestive stress!

Cruciferous vegetables contain raffinose, a sugar that remains undigested until your gut bacteria help out. Those vegetables include: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, arugula, and cabbages.

Here are a few ways to continue eating vegetables and reduce those unwanted digestive symptoms:

  • Cook your vegetables instead of eating them raw because it breaks down their fiber and kills some of their gas producing properties.

  • Take a digestive enzyme supplement. Our stomachs contain a variety of enzymes that help digest our food. When our gut health is out of wack our stomach environment may not have the appropriate amount of enzymes to digest our food.

  • Include probiotics/naturally fermented foods into your regular diet.

Click the button at the bottom of this email if you have more questions about any of the previous information I shared!

Now let's jump into this broccoli recipe😋

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Crispy Cheesy Air Fried Broccoli
Prep time: 15 minutes and Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Makes 4 servings
Nutrition info for 1 serving: 77 Calories, 5g P, 3g F, 7g C, 1g Fiber

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of broccoli

  • 1/4 cup cheese

  • 1/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs

  • 1 egg

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

  1. Wash and cut broccoli into bit sized florets.

  2. Measure the rest of the ingredients.

  3. Place egg in a bowl and whisk it.

  4. Combine all dry ingredients(bread crumbs, seasonings, and cheese) in a separate bowl from the egg.

  5. Get a baking sheet and cover with foil. Spray olive oil onto the foiled baking sheet.

  6. Take broccoli floret to dip in egg then the dry ingredient bowl and finally place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this until all broccoli is coated.

  7. Once all the broccoli is coated, place baking sheet into the air fryer or standard oven. If using air fryer preheat to 325 degrees and cook for 15-20 minutes, until crispy. If using oven preheat to 400 degrees and cook for 15-20 minutes until crispy. Don’t be alarmed if steam leaves your air fryer or oven, that’s normal!

  8. Remove from heat source and let cool 😎 enjoy this recipe as a snack or a side to your meal!

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