Coconut Lemon Roasted Broccoli

I recently realized that I only have a few broccoli recipes on the site. This seemed rather odd considering I love broccoli.

Two out of the three were stir-fry recipes, so that was out. Snowy weather and roasting vegetables seem to go hand-in-hand. And roasted broccoli is wonderful.

I don’t remember how we decided on the coconut. (We’re stir crazy?) It works surprisingly well.

Coconut Lemon Roasted Broccoli

• 2 pounds broccoli (4 crowns), cut in chunks
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• zest of 2 medium lemons

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Place the broccoli on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the salt and toss to evenly distribute. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, removing in the middle to stir the broccoli.
2. Meanwhile, place the coconut in a medium pan set over medium heat. Toast, stirring frequently, until light brown, about 3 minutes.
3. When the broccoli is removed from the oven, immediately toss with the lemon zest and toasted coconut until evenly distributed. Serve.

Serves 4-6

When roasting any vegetable, it’s important that it’s dry before it goes in the oven. That way it browns instead of steams. This is slightly trickier to achieve with broccoli (and cauliflower) since water gets trapped in all those little crevices in the florets. I lay the florets out between two kitchen towels, then roll the whole thing up to help absorb all the water. If you have the time, let it sit like that for a little while.

This recipe is being shared in Meat Free Mondays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, and Gluten Free Fridays.