It’s our favorite time of the year! There are lights and children laughing and presents and all that jazz - but honestly we’re mostly excited for the food. We don’t know about you guys, but Christmas time in our big Southern families might as well be called “Second Thanksgiving.” And then Mardi Gras happens a few months later and it’s basically “Third Thanksgiving + Frozen Daiquiris” and then the whole process starts over. It’s a really amazing system.

Anyhow, between the loads of holiday food we’re about to lose our minds on, we’re trying to be somewhat conscious of staying a little bit remotely healthy. So, broccoli rabe. Are you familiar with this little gem of a vegetable? We just discovered it last year and have been trying to see just how many ways we can eat it. So far, our favorite method is roasting it for a really long time in the oven, until it becomes slightly crispy. We were kind of thinking of it like broccoli’s little brother because of its appearance, but based on it’s stronger earthier flavor it’s kind of more like broccoli’s dad. Except it’s actually not broccoli at all and it’s part of the turnip family, so it’s like broccoli’s step-dad. Our new favorite thing!

We’ve been working on converting our spare bedroom into a full on Ina Garten style dinner party ready dining room, and we’re going to have it done just in time for the holiday which means we are gonna be making ALL of the broccoli rabe crostini platters. Some will definitely be this goat cheese & sesame situation, but we’re also thinking of variations like roasted broccoli rabe & hummus crostini, broccoli rabe & feta Greek crostini, and maybe even a little holiday inspired broccoli rabe & butternut squash crostini. In fact we’re just going to make platters upon platters of crostini and skip the whole dinner party thing and just have a date night in. Welcome to our life.

Anyhow, the recipe is below if you want to make your own platter of broccoli rabe crostini for entertaining, or just for yourself! Also, you can check out SO MANY MORE broccoli rabe recipes from our friends over at Andy Boy. Enjoy!

Sesame Broccoli Rabe Crostini

prep time: 10 min // cook time: 15 minutes // makes 16 - 20 pieces

1/2 lb (about 1/2 bunch) Andy Boy broccoli rabe
1 baguette, sliced into 1/4" thick pieces
3 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh minced dill
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Place an oven rack to the center position of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush each side of the baguette slices with the two tablespoons of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Place onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until golden, flipping each crostini half way through the baking time. Remove from oven and let cool.
While the crostini are crisping in the oven, prepare the whipped goat cheese spread by combing the yogurt, goat cheese, a healthy dose of fresh ground black pepper, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire attachment (this can also be done by hand with a wire whisk).Whip the ingredients together for about one minute, until slightly fluffy. Fold in the dill and set aside.
Once the crostini have been removed from the oven and set aside to cool, raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Cut the large stems off of the broccoli rabe, reserving just the smaller, flexible stems, the leaves, and the bud. In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the broccoli rabe, one tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 8 - 10 minutes, until the leaves become crispy and the stems are tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, toss with the sesame oil.
Build the crostini just before serving. Start by spreading about 1 teaspoon of goat cheese spread onto the crostini, followed by a piece of broccoli rabe and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Thanks so much to Andy Boy for sponsoring this post - and to all of you guys for supporting the sponsors that keep Probably This alive and well. As always, all opinions are our own!

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