About Roasted Broccoli

Like most boys, my boy doesn't like a whole lot of vegetables. So when he finds one he actually does like, we tend to eat a lot of it. Like, a whole lot of it. And so it is with broccoli, despite what the greatest Powerpuff Girls episode IN THE WORLD would have you believe. What, you don't believe me that "Beat Your Greens" is the greatest Powerpuff Girls episode IN THE WORLD? Fine. Watch for yourself:





Incidentally, did I tell you that my boy got me the complete Powerpuff Girls series on DVD for my birthday? BEST. BOYFRIEND. EVER!

Wait, what were we talking about again? Oh right, broccoli. And how there's only so many times you can eat steamed broccoli before your eyes roll back into your skull out of boredom. I have no idea what that means. But I do know that steamed broccoli can get pretty boring after a while, which is why we roast it!

Roasting vegetables in general is pretty awesome, because the high and dry heat in your oven caramelizes all the sugars and crunchifies all the tender bits and everyone knows that it's the caramel and the crunch that makes Twix the most delicious candy bar OF ALL TIME. So preheat your oven to 450 F and gather your ingredients:

• 2 medium heads of broccoli, florets separated into reasonably large chunks
• A couple glugs of extra virgin olive oil
• A few pinches of salt and pepper and maybe some crushed red pepper flakes and lemon zest
• Maybe a couple cloves of garlic

Toss all of this together in a large bowl until the broccoli is well coated.



Then lay out your florets in a single layer on a half-sheet pan.



Then put the pan in the oven.

Hey look, you're cooking!

(Sorry.)

After about 15 minutes, flip your florets. (If you are making a sauce or a dressing or whatever to go with your roasted broccoli, now's the time to remove the garlic cloves. If not, keep calm and carry on.)

And roast them for another 8 minutes.



And you're done! Your broccoli is officially ready to serve, but if you're feeling saucy (heh), why not drizzle your florets with a little balsamic vinegar? Or some soy-lemon dressing? Either way, YUM.