Sesame Broccoli



I realize that this picture isn't the most appetizing - well, it's maybe appetizing to you if you like parmesan muffins (recipe to come), meatloaf and sesame veggies ... but it's not exactly pretty. But how do you make meatloaf pretty? I read recently a story where a woman said her grandfather always picked the ugliest dessert to eat, because, he said, you know the ugly ones were baked at home, with love, and will taste the best! Isn't that how it goes with meatloaf, too?

Brad loves meatloaf, and I make it once in awhile for him, but not too often because I don't want us eating too much red meat. (Although I do choose 94% fat-free, and I do use beef in meatloaf - but I used ground turkey in spaghetti so we can eat it more often!) But wait, meatloaf isn't the point of this post, in fact I'm not even going to give you a recipe for it (it was a new recipe and I wasn't that taken with it - I have better ones for another time!) The point of this post is that green stuff, which yesterday was sesame zucchini and squash, and below (the day before) was sesame broccoli. Goooood stuff.

We eat a lot of broccoli because it's one green vegetable Brad will eat (roasted brussels sprouts and cooked cabbage are two others), but I get tired of having it just steamed with butter. You know? And I do roast broccoli once in awhile, but that takes forever, and when you have two hours to cook, straighten up the house and get ready for job #2, roasting isn't always the best idea. This sesame broccoli? It is the best idea!

This dish is my offering for Heart of the Matter 4 - Vegetables, hosted by Joanna's Food and Heart of the Matter. It's broccoli, it's green, it's olive oil, it's honey, it's balsamic vinegar. What's bad about all of that? In fact, you can leave off the sesame seeds if you want, and use reduced-sodium soy sauce, which would make it even more heart-healthy. Plus it pairs with everything, and like I said before, it's one quick dish.

See? Eating healthfully doesn't have to be so bad ....



Sesame Broccoli (I added green beans, too)
Submitted to
BakeSpace by Kathy


Ingredients:
1 lb fresh broccoli, cut into spears
1 T reduced sodium soy sauce
2 t. Olive Oil
2 t. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 t. honey
2 t. toasted sesame seeds

Directions
1) Place broccoli in a steamer basket; place in a saucepan oven 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 10-15 minutes until crisp tender.

2) Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, compine the soy sauce, oil, vinegar and honey; cook and stir over medium-low heat until heated through.

3) Transfer broccoli to serving platter; drizzle with soy sauce mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.