At Arvida care communities throughout New Zealand, residents are encouraged to get involved with making decisions about meals. Often, residents’ own recipes are incorporated into weekly menus.

A great example of this strategy in action happens at St Allisa in Christchurch. Every Friday, residents on the ‘Eating Well Committee’ get together to talk about the community’s menu and any food-based initiatives they’d like to see. They also share a meal based on a resident’s own recipe.

After tasting the dish, the committee members talk about the recipe and decide whether they want it incorporated into St Allisa’s weekly menu. In addition to passing the taste test, the recipe needs to meet nutrition guidelines set by me, Arvida’s national dietitian.

Recently, Graham of St Allisa made his ‘Broccoli Salad with Almonds & Feta’ recipe. It was so good, we want to share it with you. Graham describes this dish as “an easy-to-make salad that’s tasty and very healthy”. I totally agree with him. It’s truly delicious.

What’s so great about broccoli?

Broccoli is easy to take for granted, because it’s always available, but it’s actually a really special food. Available in purple as well as green, it belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables, which also includes cauliflower, cabbage and kale. Here are some of the benefits of eating broccoli often:

• It’s good for your heart. A study by Nutrition Research found that eating broccoli can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing the total amount of cholesterol in the body.¹
• It’s good for your bones. Broccoli contains vitamin K, which is important for increasing bone mineral density and reducing fracture rates in people with osteoporosis.²
• It helps your eyes to stay healthy. Broccoli contains carotenoids called lutein and zeaxanthin, which are linked to a decreased risk of age-related eye disorders, such as cataract and macular degeneration.³
• It might prevent cancer. Research suggests that broccoli may have anti-cancer properties, because it’s a rich source of glucosinolates.⁴

Graham’s Broccoli Salad with Almonds & Feta

Ingredients

2 broccoli heads

50ml olive oil

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 cloves of garlic

1 lemon, zested

½ preserved lemon, thinly slice the skin only

60g goat feta

40g sliced almonds

¹ Science Direct.

² Vitamin K and bone health.

³ The POLA Study.

⁴ A Therapeutic Marvel.