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January 11, 2006
Try Something New: Artichokes
I remember the first time I tried an artichoke, almost 10 years ago, I thought it was slimy and had an unusually strange taste. I came across this weird (different) vegetable a couple years ago and thought this unique texture and taste was actually quite delicious. Tastes do change so don’t be afraid to try a food again even if your first, second or third trial did not go well. Today, I’ll add artichokes to pasta, pizza, salads, rice mixtures or anything else I can throw it in that sounds good. Artichokes have a wide variety of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, folate and magnesium. It’s also a good source of fiber. Artichokes are naturally low in calories and sodium and have no fat or cholesterol. A fresh artichoke should have a tight, compact head that feels heavy for its size. Surface brown spots will not affect its quality. Canned artichokes can be high in sodium and fat – read your labels and find out what they’re packed in. You can drain and rinse artichokes to reduce the sodium in them and rinse off some of the oil. Artichokes also come frozen without added salt.
Click here to find out how to prepare fresh artichokes.
Italian Chicken Salad
Leftover or rotisserie chicken from the deli speeds this fresh dish to the table.
Dressing:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Salad:
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
10 pitted ripe olives, halved
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.
To prepare salad, combine chicken and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad, and toss gently to combine.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
CALORIES 262(32% from fat); FAT 9.4g (sat 1.5g,mono 3.8g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 34.6g; CHOLESTEROL 89mg; CALCIUM 31mg; SODIUM 395mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.3g
Courtesy of Cooking Light
Posted by Lisa at January 11, 2006 12:26 PM
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