I don’t know about you, but I’ve been looking forward to today since I announced Meatless Mondays from A-Z last week! I had a few ideas of dishes that I could create with artichokes, but in the end, I decided to use the canned variety in this recipe. A little more sodium perhaps, but very convenient and very accessible. I LOVE fresh artichokes as well, so before we get to the recipe, I thought I’d share my tips for cooking with the fresh variety.
Cooking Fresh Artichokes
Start with a fresh artichoke (my favorite is the large size, but any size will work.
- With a sharp knife and chop off the top 1/2 inch. I don’t bother cutting off the tops of all the leaves, just enough to make the top of the ‘choke flat.
- Chop off the bottom 1/2 inch of the stem.
- Steam the artichoke with a mixture of water and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Steam for 35-45 minutes, or until the flesh of the small exterior leaves is tender. To test, pull off a few small leaves and pull off the flesh from the base of the leaf with your teeth. Should pull off easily be fairly soft when finished.
- When cool enough to touch, cut off the base of the artichoke – about 1/4 inch above the stem. If you want to eat the base (I love it, but it can be too bitter for some), use a spoon to scoop out the hairy portion from the base and discard. Trim off the outside of the stem and eat!
- To enjoy the leaves, pull them free and dip the base of each into your desired sauce and eat the flesh from the bottom of each leaf.
Cooking Canned Artichokes
Sometimes it’s easier to start with the canned variety, which makes it easy to mix them into a recipe. This week, I decided to mix artichokes with silken tofu to make a creamy dip to enjoy with a bag of pretzels and box of melba toasts I’ve had in the pantry for a while now. It’s also an easy snack to bring to a picnic, without the mess of discarded leaves from the fresh variety. And with over 14 grams of protein per serving, you’ll feel satisfied for longer than the typical snack dip.
**Note: I have recently edited this recipe to note ranges for red pepper, garlic, and onion. My family & I all love this dip with the full amount of ingredients, but it can be quite spicy to others. Feel free to adjust the amount of those ingredients to your taste preferences!
Artichoke Power Dip
by
Ingredients (8 servings)
- 1 can (8.5 oz) Quartered Artichokes
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- cooking spray
- 1 package (12.3 oz) Silken Tofu
- 1 can (8.5oz) Artichoke Hearts
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 1-2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1/8 – 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons parley, chopped
Instructions
Place quartered artichokes in single layer on cookie-sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Broil on high for 8 minutes.
While broiling, combine remaining ingredients (silken tofu through parsley) in food processor and mix together until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape excess down the sides of the bowl.
Transfer mix to a medium bowl and stir in roasted artichokes. Top with extra parsley for garnish, if desired. Serve with pretzels or toast.
Now it’s your turn to share the artichoke goodness!! Submit your post below to share your meatless monday recipe featuring artichokes. Can’t wait to see what you came up with. :)
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
THANK YOU I have been dying to know how to cook artichokes because they have been on sale and I want to make a dip like this. Holy yum
Alex @ therunwithin recently posted..Oh Boy its MIMM Time
Yea, I love helping others learn new ways to enjoy veggies. :) My hubby informed me he ate a LOT of the dip today, so I guess I need to eat more before it’s all gone!
Happy 1st MMAZ!!! I love the recipe you shared – so much protein. :)
We should have coordinated so we didn’t all ave to write a post about how to steam an artichoke. LOL!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table recently posted..‘Choking on Monday
Happy MMAZ to you – thanks for joining the celebration! I thought you would like all the protein, I was actually pleasantly surprised when I did the nutritional stats. :)
I actually like that you shared more of the boiling approach (which I also like) and I did steaming. Stores are going to be wondering why they are selling so many artichokes!
That dip looks so good! I’ve never heard of boiling artichokes with acv… what does that do?
Linz @ Itz Linz recently posted..Marvelous Birthday Week Kick-Off
I stole the ACV idea with the way I learned to cook asparagus. It gives it a little more flavor (very faint) and I think helps preserve the color. One of those things I’ve done for so long it seems normal. :)
yay, it’s here! this dip sounds amazing, I will be making this! (artichokes are listed twice, is that right?) <– I mean, I would do it, double artichokes is good with me! ;)
happy MMAZ!
Kristina recently posted..artichoke arame ceviche
oh never mind, they are different ingredients… ;) haven’t had my coffee yet…
Kristina recently posted..artichoke arame ceviche
Thanks Kristina – it turned out even better than I expected, always a nice result. I’m glad you figured out the artichoke thing – it gave the creamy sauce an artichokey flavor while still allowing for chunks in the finished product.
Oh yum!! I love artichoke (and would probably buy the canned variety to try this!) I usually make a batch of hummus to snack on throughout the week- but will have to switch it up with this. Love that you used silken tofu! That’s usually my weapon of choice for things that I want to make super creamy. :)
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning recently posted..Salad Bar Sunday
I was going to jump in on this because I have a veggie fajita / veggie enchilada recipe, but it was going to be a stretch to call it “A Lot of Veggies Enchiladas” :)
Calee recently posted..Marvelous in My Monday [10]: Nutty Butter Logo Reveal
I’m usually a fan of the fresh, but it doesn’t work quite as well when it’s not standing on it’s own. I can’t wait for you to try this – you have to tell me what you think!
I didn’t grow up eating fresh artichokes, so I’m always curious for recipes to see how people eat them. I love using the canned ones in dips and never thought about adding tofu- yum!!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast recently posted..Flashback: Running in the 70′s
The wonders of tofu – so many options! I don’t remember who made artichokes for me first, but I’m guessing it was my mom.
Awesome looking recipe. I love using silken tofu to make “creamy” dips and sauces.
I haven’t done it much, honestly, but I think this creation has reminded me how useful it can be!
whoa! I need to get in on this MM thing!! did i miss next week’s “B”?
Yes you do!! Next week is Beets (it’s in the graphic right now and it was in last week’s launch post) – which I have NO idea what I’m making. I did buy beets at the store tonight though. :)
It looks perfect! Want to bring it allll over to my house for dinner tonight?!
Katie recently posted..scenes from the weekend
If I had any free time today, I would have! :) I promise to make it again and share. :)
This is such a good idea! I can’t wait to do this for next week. I’m going to start brainstorming some beets recipes. Too bad I missed today since I love artichokes so much!
Thank you!! You can do what I did and just buy the beets with the expectation that genius will strike at some point. Excited you’re going to join me next week! :)
woohoo for mmaz!
You dip looks awesome and I think it might be a great way to try cooking with tofu again (and trick Steven into eating it). Do you think it would still work without the yeast?
traci @yellowWISHBONE recently posted..Meatless Monday A-Z
I’m so glad that you joined the link-up this week!! The nooch really adds the cheesy flavor that makes this shine, so you want to add it. You can get it in the bulk bins at Whole Foods for really cheap, if you haven’t bought it before. It’s amazing stuff!
Fresh artichokes is something I’ve always been kind of scared of cooking. I’ve been dying to just go for it.
This is a great idea girl! I’m getting my blogging mojo back and I can’t wait to join in on the fun!!
Ashley @ Freckles & Spice recently posted..Change does not mean Failure
They’re so much easier than you think, give it a try! And I really hope you join MMAZ, I’ll help get your blogging mojo back. =)
I wish you could just be my personal chef because all of your dishes look so amazing! I’m not very inventive in the kitchen, that’s for sure.
Lena @Fit on the Rocks recently posted..While I’ve Been Out & Giveaway Winner
I really never created my own recipes until I transitioned to a plant-based diet. I always thought it was intimidating, but then I just decided to make myself do it. I think you’re more creative than you give yourself credit for. :)
I love that we are doing this.
And that we both made dip.
And that I didn’t end up putting the tofu in mine like I was going to because then you’d REALLY give me an F for plagiarism.
F…fennel, fava beans, figs, filo, fusilli…
[Yes, I did just google "foods that start with F" :)]
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen recently posted..Garlicky Artichoke + Kale Spread [Slash] Dip
I’m so glad we’re doing this too. And fava beans or figs both sound very interesting…
Thank you for this great post. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Artichokes but have never tried to cook them myself. I cannot wait to try this Saturday!!! Love it!!
Hugs
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Jen W.* recently posted..Meal Plan Monday
I feel like its worth noting to readers that I just tried this recipe and was really unhappy with the way it turned out. I checked the recipe over so many times to make sure I hadn’t done something wrong, it tasted that bad! Does anyone have any idea where I might have gone wrong? Because I’m surprised that there could be positive reviews on this one, tasting the way mine did. It was overly spicy from all the chili flakes, raw garlic, and onion, and with a whole cup of nutritional yeast, that’s all you ended up tasting in the end. Such a bummer… I was making it for Christmas but everyone told me to throw it out before any extended family came over. :(