Lemon Pepper Steamed Broccoli Recipe

I ate five cups of broccoli the other day. Five cups! By noon, I hit my daily fiber requirements, and I’m pretty sure that my skin turned a light shade of green. As crazy as it may seem, I just couldn’t leave this steamed broccoli alone. It was that good and didn’t even meet the bare minimum requirements for the term “easy”. In fact, I am almost embarrassed to post the recipe. Steam broccoli, add lemon zest, pepper and salt, and eat. See what I mean?

It was a little birdie on my shoulder (you know, the hallucinogenic one that appears after you consume five cups of cruciferous vegetables) that insisted that I post the recipe. It reminded me how non-plussed I become after multiple nights of steamed broccoli, and that maybe everybody would appreciate a little variation on the theme.

In other words, the birdie made me do it.

If you are watching your sodium intake and you’re eating this broccoli with a dish that’s already salted, feel free to eliminate the sprinkle of salt. If you’re eating it alone by the bowlful (ahem), that little sprinkle adds something special. This would be the perfect side dish for Southwestern Roasted Chicken with Cumin, Chili Pepper & Cilantro or Baked Tilapia with Pesto & Breadcrumb Crust.

The recipe:

Set a medium-sized saucepan filled with 1 inch of water over high heat, and bring the water to a boil.

Place the broccoli in a steamer basket, place inside of the saucepan (be sure the bottom of the basket does not touch the water), cover and reduce the heat to medium.

Steam the broccoli until just tender when pierced with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the broccoli to a serving bowl. Add the olive oil, grate the zest of the lemon over the broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Serve.

Other healthy vegetable side dishes:

• Cookin’ Canuck’s Spaghetti Squash with Swiss Chard, Dried Cranberries & Dijon Vinaigrette
• Cookin’ Canuck’s Roasted Cauliflower with Indian Spices
• Within the Kitchen’s Healthy & Easy Ginger-Garlic Green Beans
• The Tart Tart’s Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette
• Ring Finger Tan Line’s Asian Inspired Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Lemon Pepper Steamed Broccoli Recipe
• From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
• Ingredients
• 12 oz. (about 5 cups) broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large lemon (for the zest only)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Instructions

Set a medium-sized saucepan filled with 1 inch of water over high heat, and bring the water to a boil.

Place the broccoli in a steamer basket, place inside of the saucepan (be sure the bottom of the basket does not touch the water), cover and reduce the heat to medium.

Steam the broccoli until just tender when pierced with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the broccoli to a serving bowl. Add the olive oil, grate the zest of the lemon over the broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Serve.

Notes

Calories 62 / Total Fat 3.8g / Saturated Fat 0.5g / Sodium 175.2mg / Total Carbohydrates 6.1g / Fiber 3.5g / Sugars 0.1g / Protein 3.3g / WW (Old Points) 1 / WW (Points+) 2

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