Does anybody do anything with the stems? I usually just whack the bushy part off and eat that, tossing the stems, but I'm guessing the stems are also nutritious and edible as well.

I cut off the stems at the point at which they get really hard and woody. Then I cut off the flowerets to use as vegetables. Peel the stems that are left by taking off an outer layer. I cook those with the flowerets, then freeze them for soups and casseroles. They are just as nutritious as the flowerets, but take longer to cook. They also taste a little stronger.

My step-mom peels them and makes a salad out of them that includes onions and mayonaise (that's all that is in it: broccoli stems, maybe a few broccoli florets, raw onions, and mayonaise). She really likes it and makes it for ALL family gatherings. I can't eat raw onions (they give me heartburn every time) and I'm not that big a fan of broccoli, so I've never tried it. Also, with the mayo it's probably pretty high in calories, but maybe if you used low calorie mayo...

- Barbara

I cook the stems until they are really soft, then puree this in my food processor with: some tofu, a few pine nuts, a splash of olive oil, vegetable stock and seasonings.. voila. Spinach pesto. It freezes well and I when I want some, I can jazz it up by sauting some mushrooms and onions and then dumping in this stuff. Also is good as a base for a primavera sauce.

A Chinese friend of mine used to slice the stems very thin and marinate them in some kind of seasoned vinegar. Then she dried them and people ate them like chips. She swore it was a big hit (and very low-fat/low-cal), though I hate vinegar and didn't want to try them.

I slice them and use them in soups and stirfries.

I remove the outer layer and thinly slice them to use in stir fry. They come out a bit crunchy (similar to water chestnuts but with different flavor)

I've also added the chopped stem to soups and stews.