Broccoli Cheese

If regular cheese come out of shrubs, root crops, trees or clouds, I could have been vegan. I know all about those vegan cheeses: the expensive ones sold at vegan markets and the pretty-time consuming homemade ones. That's why I had been vegan, but just for two months. Now I just try to cook and eat more vegan meals (as you perhaps have noticed, most of my recipes are under vegan/vegan option category).

​Lucky thing is, my husband is not a cheesaholic. That's why I didn't have chance to prepare this dish until recently, when I started working and I need to bring my own bento. It didn't only look beautiful in my bento, it tasted awesome. So for my first two weeks at work, it was an everyday guest in my lunch box.

I'm off to work now, so enjoy another short blog post today! Yipee!

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​ Ingredients

• broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

• processed cheese, cut into small cubes

• Parmesan cheese

• ajinomoto

• olive oil

Procedure

1. Soften broccoli by microwaving or boiling. If you're microwaving it, cover it with cling wrap to prevent it from drying then microwave for 40-60 seconds. If you don't have a microwave, add broccoli to boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Skipping the softening part may render your broccoli hard to bite or burnt by stir-frying.

2. On a pan over medium low to medium fire, add a little olive oil then toss in the broccoli. Season it with a little ajinomoto to enhance the flavor.

3. When some parts of the broccoli has browned, toss in the cubed cheese. Keep on mixing to avoid burning.

4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese a few seconds before turning off the fire.

Tips and tricks I haven't tried it (because I don't think it matches the other flavors in my bento, like pad thai etc.), but I'm pretty sure it will taste wonderful with a dash of Italian herbs. It can also be a perfect side or topping to any kind of pasta sauce-- red, white or green. Don't you think so?