seriously delicious and easy roasted broccoli [porter]

Roasted broccoli in under 20 minutes

The fiance and I went to my friends house last night to help hang their new TV.  When I say that we went to help, I mean to say that fiance went to help, and I went to hang out with my friend Y.  While the boys were having all kinds of trouble (breaking a bolt off into the stud, starting over, finally succeeding and then realizing that this mount blocked the TV's power source--the TV just ended up on the entertainment stand 3 hours later) Y and I made dinner.  She showed me how to make this fantastic dish, and I couldn't wait for the boys to finally call it quits so we could indulge.  I intended to make it tonight as well, even before I remembered that I started a blog yesterday and would probably need to make it again so I could get a photo that would grab your attention :)  I might make it again tomorrow.  Seriously, it is that good and it's broccoli.

Reasons why we should eat broccoli (World's Healthiest Foods):

1. Cholesterol lowering benefits
2. Boosts your body's ability to detoxify
3. May lessen reactions to allergies
4. Studies show that it reduces the chances of several forms of cancer

Reasons why we want to eat broccoli:

1. If cooked properly it is quite tasty
2. It adds color to our plates (if you ask my friend Y, pretty food is just as important as good food)
3. It is so fast and easy to cook

Okay, now go buy broccoli! 

Ingredients:
1 bunch of broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, but feel free to change it up)
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 dash cayenne (optional)
1 lemon, halved

The how to:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Chop the broccoli into large florets, discarding the lightest part of the stems, and wash and dry thoroughly.  Place the broccoli in a large bowl and toss to coat with the remaining ingredients except for the lemon.  Line a cookie sheet (one that has a rim so any juices don't run off and make a mess) with foil and spread the broccoli as a single layer.  Roast for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and squeeze half of the lemon (to taste).

Side notes:
All parts of broccoli are edible, but simply may take longer to cook, so slice thinner or use different pans to roast accordingly.  For a one pan method, which you probably don't even need to clean because of the foil lining, skip the bowl for tossing and use a plastic bag (I'm frugal and would rather clean the extra dish, but we can call it "green" of me if you want).  Try adding other things to the pan for different flavors: garlic, shrimp, peppers, etc.  Also, these seasonings may also be worth trying on steamed broccoli; just add the seasonings after steaming florets for 5 minutes over 2 inches of boiling water.

How do you like your broccoli?

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