Roasted broccoli

Today is day one of a return to healthful eating (Dragon's Way), and yes, to being gluten-free and casein-free.  I didn't just fall off the wagon...I fell off, then decided to join a crazy happy dance caravan.  When I came to, it was a long and arduous trek back.

But, I'm here now.

I was recently drawn to Elana's Roasted Broccoli post at Elana's Pantry.  I'd starred it in my Google Reader, tucked it away.

This afternoon, I needed a snack.  Withdrawal from meat and dairy, eggs and sugar, and junk food has hit fast.  I sliced a couple of the giant Mutsu apples that came in our CSA fruit share last week and enjoyed them with the kids. 

I needed something more.  I imagine what I need is protein.  Preferably animal protein.  But a quick glance down at my ample belly tells me otherwise.  There's just no way my body needs meat, dairy or eggs right now.


There's broccoli in the fridge so I distracted myself with trying out a new recipe.  Roasted broccoli.

Honestly?  I was a bit underwhelmed.  My first piece was bitter.  (The emotion associated with the heart system in TCM.)  I took these out at 13 minutes.  They are cooked, I was careful to cut them in small pieces.  But, they are just shy of crunchy.  Next time I'm going to push for 15 minutes and watch for the softness/browning ratio.

To be clear, I think the recipe is sound (the recipe can be found in the link above).  Future tweaking will be based on my own preferences and ensuring the quality of the broccoli I start out with (this head was from the supermarket, not John's farm.)

I'm going to pack these up for adding to stir-fries and scrambles later.  They'd be great on pizza.