Everyday I add either a full bag of the Green Giant veggies that you just put in the microwave (they come in a box) or I do half a bag of the regular frozen veggies. I hate peas and carrots... so I eat a lot of broccoli and grean beans. A lot of the times, with the broccoli, I end up with lots of the STUMPS! And sometimes they are tough and stringy!! (and this isn't even the store brand - thisis the on sale bird's eye name brand bag)
So - I am weird about textures (hate coconut and hate almonds b/c of their texture) and biting into these nasty, tough broccoli stumps has been quite a turn off...
Any one have any suggestions? I guess I could just buy fresh broccoli every week, but I am on a budget. Are there other brands that don't have so many stumps in them?
The only way I can escape stalks is to buy the florets. They cost a lot more than the regular cut broccoli, though. (I'm not a fan of stalks either, unless they are raw and shredded)
I second the floret idea. Have you tried chopped broccoli? The stumps are still in there but they are chopped up into small pieces along with the rest of the broccoli. Might not be as nasty to you if everything is chopped.
You can also shred them in a food processor and then cook them up in chicken broth with some onion, and a little potato for thickener, to make soup. Or add them (cooked) to a casserole or a quiche/omelet or rice dish, or I suppose even a burger if you are feeling thrifty. If they're really bad I just compost 'em.
I hate "stumps"! I buy fresh broccoli and steam the florets. Then I peel the stalks to remove the tough stringy outer layer, chop it into pieces, freeze the pieces, and use them like bronzeager suggests - in omelettes, soup, etc.
I like to cook the whole thing - stumps and all. I sometimes use my immersion blender to mash it all up like mashed potato. Add some parmesean cheese or butter spray....it's good and tasty.
Is the brocc stem is closer to the florets, I'll go with it and eat it too. But if you are getting older stem, you might need to peeler away the tougher outer layer, shred, or puree it in another dish.
If you truly dislike it, I'd go with florets and pay the bit extra.
I hate the stumps too, so I get the broccoli florets if I'm not buying fresh. The Aldi I shop at frequently has the 16oz. bags of frozen broccoli florets for $1.19. That's a great buy considering fresh broccoli crowns never go for less that $1.49 a pound around here.