Broccoli soup is creamy, tasty, healthy, and easy to make.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—You probably know that broccoli is a powerhouse veggie, containing lots of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate. In fact, Johns Hopkins researchers found that eating just four weekly servings of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli reduced the risk of dying from any disease by 26 percent among 6,100 people studied for 28 years. The phytochemical sulforaphane in broccoli has shown particular promise in preventing breast and colon cancer. Sulforaphane also fights the H. pylori bacteria that cause most stomach ulcers, according to scientists at Johns Hopkins. And since carrying that bacteria puts you at three to six times higher risk of getting stomach cancer, killing H. pylori may help protect you against that particular variety of cancer, too.

But broccoli fights cancer in more ways than one. Broccoli's vitamin C neutralizes free radicals, destructive molecules in the body that can harm or kill healthy cells. Vitamin C also helps boost immunity, and it may help you build up stores of vitamin E, another anticancer nutrient. Vitamin C-rich broccoli gets an additional cancer-protective boost from its fiber, beta-carotene, flavonoids, and folate. Folate has been shown to help guard cells against cancer-inducing genetic damage from certain chemicals.

Though a lot of us already love broccoli, some people still haven't come around to this superhealthy, versatile veggie. If you've been avoiding broccoli, it's time to give it another try. To help you along, we've pulled together some of the most tempting broccoli recipes from the Rodale Recipe Finder.

#1: Broccoli-Artichoke Dip with Toasted Whole Wheat Pita Chips. Really want to change people's opinion of this vegetable? Add the benefits of broccoli to the perennial crowd-pleasing appetizer, artichoke dip.

#2: Popular Picnic Broccoli Salad. Here's a healthy version of the popular, creamy broccoli and bacon salad. It also contains selenium-rich sunflower seeds; studies show that sulforaphane is about 13 times more potent when it's combined with the mineral selenium.

Read on to see recipes for broccoli soup, pasta, and more.