Shortly after posting my last roasted broccoli review, someone named Lisa, submitted a suggestion through my nifty recipe request widget that I review NomNomPaleo's Roasted Broccoli & Bacon recipe. Sara H. also commented on that post inquiring about the NomNomPaleo broccoli. I knew then I had no choice but to try out NomNomPaleo's recipe. I waited a few weeks to get my last less than stellar experience out of my mind and then I took to the kitchen.
First I gathered my ingredients.
NomNomPaleo didn't wash her broccoli, but I did. As you can see there appears to have been a rush on broccoli the day I got the crowns I used, so I had to wash them. After washing the broccoli and patting it dry, I cut the crowns into florets. I turned the oven on to pre-heat to 400.
As I cut up the broccoli, I added it to a 1 gallon resealable bag. I splurged at the grocery store and got some pre-peeled garlic. I added 5 cloves to the bag. Sometimes its nice to not have garlic skin stuck to your fingers.
Then I sliced the bacon into pieces and added it to the bag.
The next instruction is to add a "few good glugs of macadamia nut oil, avocado oil, melted ghee or melted lard." I had avocado oil in my pantry so that's what I used. I'm not certain how much oil is in a glug. Unfortunately, unweighed unmeasured paleo doesn't work for me yet, so I don't do much glugging around my house. Using my last roasted broccoli experience as a guide, I used 3 tablespoons. I wished I'd looked a little more on her site as I would have found this Roasted Broccoli with Crispy Prosciutto & Balsamic Vinegar to use as a guideline. In that recipe, she says she uses 2 tablespoons of fat.
She says to use a "generous amount of salt," so I also added 2 teaspoons to the bag. I also ground some fresh pepper over the bag. I didn't measure it. Sorry. I just stopped grinding when it looked right to me. Pepper is a personal thing so what looks right to me may be way too much or too little for you. I wouldn't say I added more than a teaspoon.
Next, I sealed the bag and gave it a good shake until it looked like everything was coated with oil. I spread the broccoli, bacon and garlic over a foil lined baking sheet.
Here is my tray of broccoli before putting it in the oven.
After 10 minutes more, here is the tray again. Each time I checked the broccoli, I used tongs to turn it. I did not rotate the entire tray as dictated in the recipe. Shame on me.
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| Yum sums this up. |
Accessibility & Cost of Ingredients: You should be able to find all of the ingredients for this recipe at your big box grocery store with maybe the exception of the avocado oil. I don't think my big box carries it. This is the brand of olive oil I used and though I couldn't find the receipt, I think it cost about as much as Amazon is selling it for at Whole Foods. I'll put it on my list things to check the next time I go to the store.
Would another oil other than the ones listed work; say olive oil or coconut oil? I'm going to be bold and say no. In fact, I think that the use of olive oil in the failed roasted broccoli recipe I made likely is what made it fail. I'm going to guess that Michelle chose the oils she listed because they have a high smoke point. Avocado has the highest smoke point of all the fats she recommends and a much higher smoke point than than olive oil or coconut oil. The next closest paleo friendly fat with a smoke point closer to avocado oil appears to be ghee. Ghee and bacon might be overkill for me but maybe not for you. I like to use Applegate Farms bacon which is a little more expensive ($4.99 a package) than the brands my big box grocery store carries, but I think the quality justifies it.
Preparation & Cooking Time: It took me just over 14 minutes to prepare the broccoli to go into the oven. I roasted the broccoli for 30 minutes.
Clean Up: Clean up is a breeze! Throw away the resealable plastic bag: check. Crumple up tin foil: check. Put cutting board, knife and measuring spoons in the dishwasher: check.
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| A clean baking sheet! |
The Paleo Review: Thumbs up! This broccoli tastes fantastic. This recipe makes me glad I did not let my last roasted broccoli experience put me off the concept all together. This time, the broccoli had a little bit of char, but that was not the predominant flavor. The broccoli was not dry either. The next time I make it I will only use 1 teaspoon of salt as it seemed just a bit salty for my taste. You might think I would say the best part of the flavor is the bacon, but actually, for me, it was the garlic. Perhaps more accurately described as bacon grease covered roasted garlic. I am adding more garlic the next time I make this.
This recipe is so good, but it won't become a regular side dish for me. Why? I can eat the entire batch in one sitting by myself and this has way too much fat (even if I just used 2 tablespoons), albeit healthy fat, for me in one meal even if I pair it with a lean protein. I think it may be impossible for a dish with 4 slices of bacon in it to not be scrumptious.
If you haven't tried this recipe yet, do it!