Balsalmic Roasted Broccoli

Growing up I H.A.T.E.D any cooked vegetable except green beans and corn.  I seriously would gag and throw up if I was forced to eat more than one.

That was always the rule.  You had to at least eat one.  Which as a parent now I am a firm believer in.  I always tells my kids, "how do you know if you hate it unless you try it."  We have found so many things they actually love to eat because they have tried at least one piece.

Anyway...broccoli was at the top of my list of "absolutely hate vegetables".  The funny thing is that I would eat pretty much anything raw; carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, etc.  But if you so much as cooked one of them, I was done.

As I got older I started trying new vegetables again, mostly because I didn't want my kids to be as picky as I was.  And I learned that I L.O.V.E. most of them (I still cannot eat cooked peas bo matter how many times I try them--bad experience as a kid).  Broccoli is now at the top of "vegetables I love and crave" list.  

The awesome thing is that I have two kids that love broccoli almost as much as me and the hubs.  Kathryn asks for it all the time--yeah!!  I love that.

Because of this I always love new ways to cook those veggies.  We love to steam or roast them (awesome with pretty much anything!).  This combines the roast will an amazing balsalmic sauce.  It was absolutely delicious.  I even made some extra sauce and added it to stir fry the next night.  So delicious!

Balsalmic Roasted Broccoli

(click here for printable version)

1 pound broccoli
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp peanut butter
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds


1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.  Wash your broccoli and cut off the big stems. Spray a large cookie sheet with cookie spray and place the broccoli on it. Spray the top of the broccoli with cooking spray.

2. Roast the broccoli for about 10 minutes, or until a fork can be easily inserted.

3. While the broccoli is roasting, put soy sauce, olive oil, balsamic vinegar,  honey and peanut butter into a small sauce pan. Heat the sauce over medium high heat. When it boils, remove it from the heat.

4. When the broccoli is done, put it in a medium sized mixing bowl and pour the sauce over the top. Stir it all around, making sure each broccoli piece has sauce on it.  Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the broccoli and serve.  Enjoy!

Source: Jamie Cooks It Up