broccoli – The No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal

I saw this recipe for balsamic-roasted and was shocked to discover I’ve never written about it on this blog. I did have a piece on roasting broccoli and cauliflower, but never just the broccoli.

Start with fresh broccoli, cut off the bulky stems and trim as you like — Broccoli often is on sale in the Chciago area where we live. Watch out for sales near you.

So here it is. Leave out the salt, obviously. The balsamic vinegar will give it plenty of flavor even without the salt.

Leave out the cheese too if you’re worried about salt and fat. OR search out low-fat or no-fat cheese to help a bit.

Recipe

Balsamic-Roasted Broccoli

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Yield: 2 side-dish servings

Ingredients

3 cups broccoli florets (about ¾ lb/350 g fresh broccoli)
1 small onion, peeled, halved, and thickly sliced
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon fresh grated Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F.
Toss together all ingredients, then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast until the broccoli is tender and browned in spots, about 18 to 22 minutes (depending how crispy you like your broccoli), tossing once halfway through.
Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top, if using, and serve immediately.

When I see a headline like “9 Amazing Broccoli Recipes Everyone Will Love” I have to stop and read it. AS I suspected, however, most of these ‘amazing’ recipes were high in salt, or fat, or both. I did find one, however, that would fit our low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar criteria, roasted garlic lemon broccoli.

The recipe is simple to make as well:

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl, toss the broccoli pieces with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, garlic, and pepper. [LEAVE OUT THE SALT, IT’S NOT NEEDED WITH GARLIC]
Spread the broccoli on a baking sheet and bake for at least 15 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
After 20 minutes, transfer roasted broccoli into a serving platter.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the preparation and serve with a tangy twist.

So you bought your low-sodium fresh turkey, now what do you pair with it for your low-sodium, low-fat Thanksgiving feast?

Check out the possibilities for low-salt, low-fat side dishes on The No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar recipe page.

Put the trimmed broccoli in the steamer basket, cover and set the timer to the recommended cooking time.

I’m planning to make broccoli in my large steamer, a must-have appliance for any kitchen trying to cook healthy. Also on the menu will be asparagus, steamed and then topped with low-sodium panko breadcrumbs and some fat-free cheese.

After that, I’ll be tackling a low-salt stuffing, read more about that here Wednesday.
John

Tag: broccoli

Balsamic-Roasted Broccoli — try this for summer fare

Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli, one healthy recipe out of nine ‘amazing’ ones

Low-Salt Thanskgiving side dishes

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