Roasted Fennel and Broccoli

Let's be honest, vegetable side dishes are a hard sell during the holidays. There are just too many other savory, cheesy, yummy choices to convince family members to squeeze some broccoli into that last space between the mashed potatoes and corn casserole, when a second dinner roll would fit just as nicely. Thank you very much. 
To compete with all this yumminess, most holiday vegetables are turned into casseroles loaded with cream and cheese...Mmm...I love creamy, cheesy vegetables casseroles. LOVE them! But this year, I was determined to make a delicious vegetable side dish for Thanksgiving that was still yummy without all the casserole-ish-ness. For me, the next best thing is roasted vegetables. I made this Roasted Fennel and Broccoli and it was incredible! Roasting them in a mustard shallot dressing and topping with Parmesan cheese makes a super savory side dish. My biggest fan and my biggest critic is my husband. So when he has two servings, of a vegetable no less, I'll take that as high praise. 😋
Happy Holidays!

Roasted Fennel and Broccoli

Serves 6

1 1/2-2 lbs. broccoli florets
1 fennel bulb, core removed and sliced to 1/4" slices
Mustard Shallot Marinade
2 small shallots, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 T Dijon mustard
1/2 cup canola oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven 400 degrees

In a large mixing bowl, add shallot, garlic and mustard and whisk together. Next add the canola oil in a steady stream while whisking to emulsify the marinade. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Prepare veggies. Cut off top of fennel bulb and reserve the leaves for garnish. Slice fennel bulb in quarters and remove hard core from bottom and slice into 1/4" slices. Place fennel slices in the dressing and stir until coated. Cut fennel will brown if left in the air.  

Add broccoli florets and toss to coat. Spread veggies out in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until fennel is soft. Sprinkle generously with fresh Parmesan cheese and chopped fennel leaves. Enjoy!

Other easy side dishes to try:

Sauteed Collard Greens

Parmesan Creamed Onions

Roasted Potatoes with Bacon and Parmesan

Roasted Asian Slaw with Creamy Sesame Dressing

Every once in a while, I'll have an idea for a Halloween dish and after I make it, it ends up being so beautiful and so delicious that I am hard pressed to give it a festive Halloween name. This deconstructed Asian slaw is one of those dishes. It started solidly as a Halloween Salad featuring shaved broccoli stems as the main component of the salad which I intended to name, Shaved Vertebrae Salad. However, as I played around with the idea of a deconstructed Asian-inspired coleslaw, my Shaved Vertebrae Salad became this Roasted Asian Slaw with Creamy Sesame Dressing. 

Instead of having all raw veggies like most slaws, I decided to roast the cabbage and red bell peppers. Lightly roasting cabbage adds sweetness and yet it still maintains the crunchiness expected with a slaw. I kept the broccoli stems crunchy which added a wonderful flavor and texture all on their own. Roasted Red peppers top the salad along with a sweet almond and ramen noodle brittle and an incredible Creamy Sesame Dressing...Yum-O! I could totally do shots of this dressing, it's so good!  So looking at this fancy pants salad...I know what you're thinking... How do I eat it?  Answer: With a knife and fork. Use a knife to cut cabbage into quarters and mix with dressing. Add lots and lots of brittle and dig in...Enjoy!

WANT TO MAKE IT FOR HALLOWEEN?
This salad can be made into a most impressive Blood Clot Salad for Halloween.  The vivid blood-red roasted peppers mimic arteries that make up a monstrous blood clot...yuck! The broccoli stems are sliced at an angle so that they look like cross-sections of vertebrae. And the showstopper of course is the red cabbage when roasted, turns a gorgeously sinister mix of deep purple which makes me think of zombie brains. Top the whole thing off with dried worms and a yummy dressing this salad is perfect for Halloween. What's not to love...Blood clots, Brain cross-sections, vertebrae and worms! Have fun with it and Happy Halloween!  

Try it with my Midnight Sushi with Wasabi Skulls.

Roasted Asian Slaw with Creamy Sesame Dressing (Blood Clot Salad)

Serves 6


1 large Red Cabbage, sliced into six ~1/4" slices, core removed
1 T canola oil + 1 T Toasted Sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper (to taste)
3-4 broccoli stems, peeled and sliced very thin (~3 cups)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, cut into thin strips 
Creamy Sesame Dressing (below)
Candied Almond Ramen Noodles (below)
toasted black sesame seeds (garnish)
cilantro leaves (garnish)



Creamy Sesame Dressing (recipe from Cuisine at Home)

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
1/2 T sugar
2 T fresh ginger, grated
Pinch of cayenne (optional)

Combine ingredients in a mini food processor and emulsify. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Roast Cabbage
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place slices of red cabbage on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix oil and minced garlic and brush mixture over cabbage slices. Salt and pepper to taste and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Prepare broccoli stems:
Cut off the small broccoli leaves from the stem and set aside for use in your salad. Using a vegetable peeler, peel rough outer stem. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut very thin slices of broccoli stem. Tip: I found it easier when using the mandoline, to not cut off the florets from the broccoli crown. Instead, hold the crown of florets as you shave the broccoli stems. It makes for easily handling without the chance of slicing your fingers. Especially, since my mandoline blade was not very sharp.

Candied Almond Ramen Noodles
1-2 packages of ramen noodles, dried and broken up
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a small skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add sliced almonds and cook until lightly browned (~2 minutes). Add sugar and stir until melted and combined. Add ramen noodles and mix until coated. Set aside to cool. 

Assemble Salad:
Spoon about 2-3 T of Creamy Sesame Dressing onto plate. Lay roasted cabbage round in center of dressing using a spatula to keep the cabbage together. Add about 1/2 cup of shaved broccoli stems and leaves to top of cabbage. Top broccoli stems with about 1-2 T roasted red peppers. Add a generous amount of Candied Almond Ramen Noodles. Garnish with black sesame seeds and cilantro leaves.

Korean Beef with Broccoli

Ground beef is a staple in my house, from meatloaf, to spaghetti, to tacos, and meatballs. It's convenient, fairly inexpensive and basically my kids eat whatever I make when I cook with ground beef and this Korean Beef is no exception.  I was a bit unsure whether my kids would like this dish because of all the garlic and Asian flavors, but my worries were unfounded as they gobbled up this deliciously sweetened ground beef and even asked for seconds. The best part, second only to the incredible flavor, is that this dish literally can come together in less than 30 minutes. I made this on Monday night and it took me 25 minutes. The rice takes the most time. It's a super easy, weeknight meal, which is perfect during the holidays when time seems to be at a premium. The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time in the kitchen or if you are on a tight budget like me, spend more money on takeout. Enjoy!

 

Korean Beef with Broccoli (slightly adapted recipe from Lizzy Writes)
Serves 5-6

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup soy sauce, low sodium
2 T sesame oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ginger, minced
1-2 t red pepper flakes (omit for kid friendly version)
pepper to taste
1 bunch green onions chopped
sesame seeds for garnish

Steamed broccoli
Steamed rice

Brown ground beef with garlic and drain fat. Add sesame oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes (if desired) and pepper and let simmer to blend flavors ~10 minutes. I usually omit adding the red pepper flakes at this step so the kiddos will eat it. But I add the red pepper flakes afterward to my individual serving to my desired spiciness. It's really good when its spicy and sweet!!

Serve on top of rice, add broccoli and green onions. Garnish with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes if desired.