Raw broccoli- any way to alter the texture?

[zomagic]

Hello everyone! I'm new around here, my name's Zo. I'm not strictly a raw.. food... ist? I am just here to learn how to incorporate a few more raw food dishes into my life, during the summer months. I live in a 100+ year old house, and only have two window units for cooling the place down. The kitchen, for practicality reasons, is not one of the places that gets cooled down. I do not cook with heat when it is 100+ outside, which leaves me eating a lot of canned products and frozen meals. I have a strong distaste for that, even though there are plenty of choices that fit into a reasonable diet... (the sodium contents aside). So I've been searching around these raw food sites for simple recipes I can incorporate, because anything I can prepare without applying heat at this time... would be fantastic. Some of it might carry over into everyday life, too! Especially the kale with lemon recipe I found. Mmmm, I could eat a whole bundle worth of kale prepared this way.

Anyway, I've been wanting to eat more broccoli, because of it's nutritional value, and because I LIKE broccoli. That is to say, I like steamed broccoli. I like the flavor of raw broccoli, but the supremely DRY texture of the florets makes me cringe every time. Can anyone clue me in on a way to make raw broccoli more tender? I'm kind of interested in the same for zucchini or squash, but mostly broccoli right now. I find tons of broccoli recipes, but nothing that specifically seems to address that horrifically dry little bundles of flowers in there. I've read a few recipes which use a dehydrator, but keep in mind that even running an appliance that pushes out 115 degree air, in a house that largely has no A/C, increases the torment. I know, because yes, I do have a dehydrator. So... I'm talking literally no heat what-so-ever. Not even low heat. Any suggestions?

Zo

[MysticTree]

Marinate it in raw oil and lemon plus herbs and seasonings. Run your dehydrator on a long extension lead in a suitable area outside the house.

[walnutty]

If you have a food processor you could break the broccoli down into very small pieces and put on top of organic greens! Add a raw dressing or fresh lemon juice and that would solve the dryness issue. Plus, by breaking down some of the fiber you probably won't get as much *gas* or *bloating*. Good luck!