Recipe: Enchanted Broccoli forest

    

        You should make this recipe, even for no reason other than it's called "Enchanted Broccoli forest." It was so much fun standing my little "oak trees" nice and tall in the mystical forest i created in my 9x13 inch pan. The recipe calls for lots of fresh herbs, including Dill (one of my favs), and coupled with fresh squeezed lemon juice, a distinct "Greek" flavor is created that gets my heart jumping! The hubs isn't a fan of broccoli but he loved the dish and even ate some left overs today! I got the recipe from a really fun vegetarian cookbook named after it's signature dish..."Enchanted Broccoli forest" by Mollie Katzen. The book is all handwritten and adorned with a ton of beautiful pictures that makes 

cooking with it all the more fun.

yields 4-6 servings

Ingredients: ( * = highly recomend using organic)

1-1pound bunch of broccoli

1 Tbs. butter*

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3/4 tsp. salt

1 large garlic glove, minced (I used 3, I'm a big garlic fan)

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice* ( I went crazy with the lemon juice!)

about 6 cups cooked rice*, white or brown (brown is better)

black pepper to taste

2 Tbs. fresh dill* (2 tsp.dry)

3 Tbs. minced fresh mint* (3tsp.dry)

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley*

1 packed cup grated cheddar or swiss (this is optional, i just sprinkled a little bit in)

Equipment:

foil

9x13 inch baking pan

1.) cook your rice by either steaming or placing 2 cups rice in 3 cups boiling water until tender. Meanwhile....

2.) Chop the trunks off of the broccoli stalks, but not too short or you wont be able to stand them up. Cook them in a steamer over boiling water until bright green and just barely tender. Rinse over cold running water, drain well, and set aside.

3.) preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease you baking pan (preferably with coconut oil).

4.) Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet. Add the onion and salt and saute over medium heat for about 5 min. or until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and lemon juice, and saute for about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the cooked rice, pepper, herbs, and cheese if you choose. Spread onto prepared pan.

5.) Now for the fun part! Arrange the broccoli upright in the rice and drizzle with melted butter. Cover loosely with foil and bake just until heated through (15-20 min.). Serve and smile.

Even Sawyer likes broccoli!!!