Roasted Broccoli With Lemon-Tahini Drizzle

Roasting broccoli is an easy way to bring out its flavor. This recipe has a delicious Eastern Mediterranean vibe. The lemony tahini sauce is bright and sunny. It plays against the warmth and sweetness of the golden-brown broccoli in a very good way.

You can riff on this recipe by tossing some chickpeas on the tray with the broccoli before roasting it. Serve the roasted broccoli/chickpeas and the sauce over rice or stuffed into a pita for a protein-packed vegan meal. It's also great with fried or scrambled eggs for a light vegetarian dinner.

The tahini sauce is lovely with cauliflower or fresh tomatoes. It's great on avocado-toast and fish too. Double the recipe and toss into salads or drizzle over potatoes.

I love to finish this dish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and za'atar. Za'atar is an addictive Middle Eastern spice blend that I always keep on my countertop for morning toast with smashed avocado.

Roasted Broccoli With Lemon-Tahini Drizzle Recipe

Serves 2-3 as a side dish

Some Notes:

Select a large baking tray or pan for this recipe. I use my big Nordic Ware Commercial Baking Sheet. I have two of them. I use them constantly for roasting vegetables and potatoes. I always line them with foil or parchment for easy clean up.      

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice mixture with a tart and nutty taste. Most blends contain dried thyme, sesame seeds and sumac. It's delicious on everything from potatoes to eggs to avocado toast to flatbread. You can find it at Middle Eastern markets or online. I look for blends without red pepper/hot pepper because I like to control the heat in my recipes. Penzeys Spices makes a good one. I also like this fair trade, handmade blend sold on Amazon. Sometimes I stir in more sumac  to this blend to punch up the pungency. Sumac is a common condiment used throughout the Middle East on everything from rice to kebabs. It has a mild, lemony taste.     
      
If you love garlic, stir a wee bit of fresh pressed or grated garlic into the tahini sauce. Just make sure the person you're with is also a garlic fan. The tahini sauce is great on fish, sauteed chicken, tossed into salads, drizzled over vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes and kebabs too. 

Toasting the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium high until they're golden brown will bring out their flavor.

Ingredients

• 3 small to medium size heads of broccoli, chopped (about 8 cups of chopped broccoli)
• 1-2 lemons
• 1/4 cup of well stirred tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon of honey or vegan substitute
• Salt to taste. I use sea salt.
• Olive oil for cooking

To Serve: one teaspoon of sesame seeds and one teaspoon of za'atar, a sprinkling of red chili flakes or Aleppo pepper, gomashio (toasted sesame-salt) 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a large baking tray or pan with foil. Toss the broccoli with olive oil and salt. I do this directly on the pan. Arrange the broccoli in a single layer on the pan and roast for about 30 minutes or until the broccoli is soft and has browned in some spots.

Make the lemon-tahini drizzle sauce by combining the tahini with the honey, one tablespoon of lemon juice and one to two tablespoons of water. Salt to taste. Keep stirring the sauce until it becomes creamy. If it seems too thick, add a little more water and adjust the salt and lemon juice.

Squeeze some lemon juice over the roasted broccoli. Serve the broccoli with the lemon-tahini drizzle, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and za'atar (if using).

Bon Appetit & Blessings!

xx ~ Jilly