Broccoli Chips

Every time I go on a health kick, I become obsessed with broccoli.  Mostly because when I think "HEALTHY," broccoli is the first veggie that jumps out at me. I know Kale is the healthiest veg of all, but broccoli is just so much better to me. Kale chips, move aside, broccoli chips are here to stay.  I know at first the words "broccoli" and "chips" may seem like contradictory terms, but  these will fulfill the same salty, savory snacking needs, while giving you a lot more nutrients.

This recipe is an incredibly flexible one- there are so many substitutions you can make to fit whatever flavors you like. I'll make some various suggestions along the way, but don't be afraid to play with these flavors.

Broccoli Chips Ingredients 2 cups of broccoli heads 1/4 cup of olive oil 1/4 cup of balsamic vinaigrette 4 minced cloves of garlic Sea salt and ground pepper 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese Directions After rinsing your broccoli, lay it out on a cookie sheet then pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, and the minced garlic.  Stir until combined.

Here, I wanted to suggest some different flavor combinations. I know some people aren't a fan of olive oil, or just try to use less of it, so some other oils you could use are palm oil and grape seed oil. These would be easy to interchange. If you want to experiment with a completely different flavor, you could try melted down coconut oil with ginger instead of garlic. Ultimately, the broccoli is great at absorbing whatever flavor you put with it.

After you have stirred the olive oil mixture, evenly pour it over the broccoli. After this, sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper. Then, I add shaved Parmesan cheese on top. The Parmesan compliments the flavors wonderfully. If cheese isn't your thing, it is still greaaaat without it. After the cheese, put in the oven to cook.

Cook for 15 minutes. The broccoli should be soft, but crisp. I mentioned earlier that I use this as a snack, so after I'm done cooking it I normally just put it in tupperware and nom all day on it. However, it could work great as a dinner side as well, especially for those of you who are trying to sneak more broccoli into your or your family's eating habits. Go forth and conquer the broccoli as a chip! It's a great way to put down the broccoli ranch combo that most of us Southern girls love and go for something a little healthier.

Happy Eats My Sweets,

   Melinda