Easy Garlic Broccoli

I made this dish a few nights ago and I believe the exact words that came out of my mouth were:

“HOLY CRAP THAT WAS GOOD”

Broccoli is one of my favorite green veggies despite the fact that I've messed it up more times than I can count, usually in the form of overcooking it so it gets mushy, looks dull green, and lacks flavor.

My relationship with garlic is a little different.

I want to cook with garlic more often -- It smells amazing when cooked, takes flavors to the next level, and has countless health benefits.

But I rarely cook with it because I can't handle the lingering smell and taste.

It stays in my body for DAYS.

Okay, maybe it's more like 1 or 2 days, but it feels so much longer.

So when I was preparing my broccoli the other night, I noticed a bulb of garlic leftover from the avocado chickpea pesto pasta recipe that I made a few weeks ago.

Wanting to try something different and not wanting to make yet another disappointing broccoli dish for this week's lunches, I decided to get fancy and add garlic to my broccoli this time around.

The result?

I was not disappointed and I did not reek.

To my surprise, the kitchen didn't reek either.

Todd confirmed that the kitchen smelled really good (thanks garlic!) and he did not detect any broccoli smell at all. Double-win!

Yields: 4-5 servings

INGREDIENTS

12-oz bag of Trader Joe's organic broccoli florets - my shortcut 😃 (If using a head of broccoli, cut into florets)
1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
2 tbsp coconut oil
Salt (to taste)
Ground black pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the coconut oil in a medium pan (at least 10") on medium heat
Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds, until it starts to brown slightly
Add broccoli and stir to combine with the garlic and oil
Cover for 1-2 minutes (this steams the broccoli and speeds up the cooking)
Remove lid, add salt & pepper, and continue stirring until the broccoli is bright green
Remove from pan and serve immediately