Photo: Laurel Fan, Flickr

What if I gave you a recipe that was cheap, easy, vegetarian, vegan, healthy and incredibly delicious?

What if I told you that I have not, so far, served this to anyone who didn’t love it?

What if I told you that it’s so good that, in addition to making it as a side dish I often just whip up a batch as a snack, not because it’s so good for me but because I really love it as much as I would love chips or ice cream?

Here is my version of roasted broccoli, which we call “Mindful Broccoli” around our house. Just because..

Mindful Broccoli (Serves 3-4 as a side, or 1 as a big snack)

Ingredients:

1. 1 head organic broccoli
2. 2-3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3. ½ teaspoon sugar (I use Stevia instead)
4. 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 500 and (this is very important) put a baking sheet in on the bottom rack when you turn on the oven. (I often make this in the toaster oven, which conserves energy, but my toaster oven only goes up to 450 degrees. It still comes out great).
2. Rinse the broccoli, remove leaves and peel the thick peel from the stem. If you’re in a hurry, skip this step, just use the florets and save the stems for the composter or some delicious soup.
3. Cut the head into fairly long, narrow pieces that are pretty similar in size. If you kept and peeled the stem, slice it into thin slices.
4. In a bowl, toss the broccoli, oil, salt and sugar to coat thoroughly. Use your hands and be mindful of coating every nook and cranny. Start with the two Tablespoons of oil and see if you need the third – your goal is just to create a thin, even coating of seasoned oil on all of the broccoli.
5. Pull the hot (!) baking sheet from the oven, dump the broccoli on the sheet and spread it so that it isn’t overlapping. The pan will be hotter than blazes, so use mitts and a spoon or spatula.
6. Roast for about 9 minutes, then take a look. You want it browned, but not blackened. It should be getting crispy around the edges and florets. If it’s not there, give it another minute or two.
7. When the thickest parts are easy to pierce with a fork, and you have lovely brown bits everywhere, you’re done!

You can thank me later, when you’re in the Betty Ford Broccoli Clinic.

 

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Editor: Bryonie Wise