Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Broccoli

You will need:

a bunch of broccoli (I prefer to use organic)
fresh brussels sprouts (I used bagged this time)
fresh garlic
a whole lemon
olive oil, salt, pepper
(optional) fresh parmesan cheese

The initial recipe had way too much salt, too much oil and too much cheese for me. I’ve toned it way down, and bumped up the garlic, but you can change things to suit your own tastes!

Begin by thoroughly washing & drying your veggies. Then trim your broccoli into florets and cut your brussels sprouts in half (I also cut the bottoms of these off, where they were attached to the stalk.)

Toss with a large pinch of salt, a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, and just enough olive oil to coat. The original recipe called for a lot more salt & olive oil, but I find that it works just as well without the extra oil, and salting to taste before eating works just fine!

Preheat your oven to 425, and spread the veggies on a cookie sheet. I love garlic, so I use lots of cloves of garlic (6-8) and then peel and halve them before sprinkling them on top of the veggies.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. I like mine really well done, so I bake for closer to 30 minutes, tossing with tongs about halfway through, and again in the last 5 minutes.

Take the veggies out of the oven, and toss with another bit of olive oil (up to 1T, depending on how many veggies you used), zest a lemon over top, squeeze the lemon’s juice over the veggies, then sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese over top (I only like a little bit, use as much or as little as you like – or leave off for a vegan version).

Serve, and season with additional salt & pepper to taste.

This recipe is absolutely delicious, very versatile, and very nutritious (if you don’t go overboard with the oil & cheese!)!

Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 11, 7 and 4 year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. Check out Maria’s blog, Change-Diapers, about cloth diapering, and all things kids, motherhood & going green.