Things have been so overwhelmingly busy these days, I haven’t had time to even think. About anything. So meals that are simple and quick to throw together are really a must.
It’s always easier to come up with a quick fix when you’ve got good ingredients on hand. Luckily, this week I received a bunch of beautiful broccoli in my produce box. Even more luckily – my kid LOVES broccoli. It’s a bonus when the veggies you get match the veggies your family will actually eat.
I decided I wanted to roast the broccoli. I’d never done it before, but I’d seen it all over the internet lately – both broccoli and cauliflower roasted to golden brown loveliness. I took a peek in the fridge and saw a bit of feta cheese that needed to be used up, so I crumbled that up too.
The thing about broccoli is that I always feel like I waste so much of it. Before I started receiving my produce via delivery, I always purchased frozen broccoli florets. It just seemed so much more economical, since most folks usually toss the woody stalks. In the past, when I’ve bought fresh broccoli, I’ve tried to find a way to use at least part of the stems, so I’ve been known to shred them for broccoli slaw, or freeze the remnants to add to a soup or stew later on. There’s also always the compost pile.
Ingredients:
3 small or 1 large bunch of fresh broccoli
2-3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Today, though, I decided to peel the stalks and cut them into thin discs and roast them right along with the florets. I cut the florets off the stalks, trimmed the stalks and peeled them with a regular old vegetable peeler, and cut them into thin rounds.
I spread the broccoli out on a foil lined sheet pan, sprinkled the crumbled feta all around and drizzled everything with olive oil. I roasted it all in a preheated 350F oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the broccoli and cheese were both golden brown.
When it came out, it had a lovely nutty smell, and the littlest bits of feta had turned into salty, crunchy morsels of deliciousness. I didn’t need to add any extra seasoning (i.e. salt or pepper) because of the brininess of the cheese.
I served it up with some homemade chicken fingers. The kiddo loved it – he scarfed up the florets before he even started on the chicken. It took him a while to try the stalk bits (I called them broccoli chips), but once he tasted them, he bolted those down as well. In fact, he asked for seconds. Of broccoli.
Seriously!
