Today's vegetable recipe: Fresh whole artichokes cooked in the microwave. Dead easy. Quick. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point.
So 2008 will go down as the Year Alanna 'Got' Artichokes. When I stuffed artichokes, my friend Cindy wrote, "Your artichokes look great. But please don't tell my girls, I just throw them in the microwave."
My friend Ann, too, after an artichoke primer at our bookclub last week, "OMG!!! I bought an artichoke today and cooked it for lunch. 7 minutes in the 'wave and 10 minutes 'rest' and then I devoured it!!!!!! Wow! I will fix another one tonight!!!"
The microwave? Can dense and prickly thistles really cook in the mike? Yes, said my source of all questions about vegetable cooking techniques
. So yes, but then, how long do we cook artichokes in the microwave? In minutes! (Detail below.)Dead easy. Dead fast. Dead delicious. I've died and gone to heaven.
ARTICHOKE PRICES Just yesterday, I saw artichokes priced at both $1 each and $4 each - ouch. Plus, since more than half (by weight) of an artichoke is inedible, that makes artichokes one of the most expensive vegetables I've come across. What are you paying in your neighborhood?
MICROWAVE ARTICHOKES
Hands-on time: 3 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Per artichoke
Time to table: 10 minutes
Per artichoke
Prep the artichokes. (Don't worry, this is way easier and faster than the number of steps would indicate.)
Place in a microwave safe dish that's deep enough to hold the artichokes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. (I used a Corning dish with a glass cover, it worked perfectly.) Place in the mike on high for --Rinse the artichokes. Even if they've been washed before, rinse again so there's some moisture.
Large globe artichokes, about 8 - 12 ounces each
Small whole artichokes, about 2 ounces each
Microwaves do vary in power so check one before serving.
To serve, tear off the leaves. Between your teeth, scrape out the fleshy part at the base of each leaf, discarding the rest. (It helps to keep a big bowl handy.) The leaves will become increasingly more tender toward the middle. Once the leaves are gone, there will be a thistly-looking center (this is the 'choke') that is not edible. With a grapefruit spoon, scoop out the choke. At its base is the artichoke's heart, a moist, dense nibble of deliciousness.
NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Artichoke, 60 Cal (2% from Fat, 23% from Protein, 74% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 13 g Carb; 7 g Fiber; NetCarb6; 0 g Sugar; 56 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 120 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point
Hmm. Does an artichoke really add up to one point in Weight Watchers? It's hard to believe, it seems like such a small volume. But the USDA's database says it does have the calories/fat/fiber to add up to one Weight Watchers point. I have also done a second check: a 10-ounce artichoke yields 4.65 ounces of edible flesh, including the heart. Since most recipes on A Veggie Venture presume that a pound of vegetables serves four, that's in the range of typical portion size. So -- okay, yes, it's not unreasonable. For zero points, share an artichoke!
TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka
Per Artichoke, 60 Cal (2% from Fat, 23% from Protein, 74% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 13 g Carb; 7 g Fiber; NetCarb6; 0 g Sugar; 56 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 120 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point
Hmm. Does an artichoke really add up to one point in Weight Watchers? It's hard to believe, it seems like such a small volume. But the USDA's database says it does have the calories/fat/fiber to add up to one Weight Watchers point. I have also done a second check: a 10-ounce artichoke yields 4.65 ounces of edible flesh, including the heart. Since most recipes on A Veggie Venture presume that a pound of vegetables serves four, that's in the range of typical portion size. So -- okay, yes, it's not unreasonable. For zero points, share an artichoke!
TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from Vegetable Love
by Barbara Kafka
MORE FAVORITE VEGETABLE RECIPES
~ more artichoke recipes ~
~ more vegetables cooked in the microwave ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~
~ more artichoke recipes ~
~ more vegetables cooked in the microwave ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~
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© Copyright 2008
© Copyright 2008
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