Thistle Blow your Mind: Artichokes!

I realized something pretty major the other day: I have never eaten an artichoke before. Yeah, I know. How is that even possible? Not sure. This occurred to me, in fact, while I was driving through a town called Castroville – the self-proclaimed “artichoke capital of the world” in central California. Hmm…there sure were lots of artichokes in those fields and I had no idea how any of them tasted, which freaked me out a little.
Then, a few days later, I was up north in another part of the state where, lo and behold, in a friend’s backyard garden grew a number of the intimidating-looking plants that had never graced my palette. It was a sign. Time to do something about that.

Artichokes are a member of the thistle family (in case you didn't pick that up from my awesome post title), and the part that we eat is actually the immature flower bud that would otherwise grow into a bright purple blossom.
Although most of us can buy artichokes all year round in a grocery store, we are actually on the opposite side of their ideal season, which is March through May. I guess having never tasted an artichoke before I am equally oblivious to their life cycle. Oops. And that I am in the state that can grow a lot of things all year round no matter what the season is, so can you really blame me? No. I’m just going for it.
So began my artichoke adventure. I picked up some local beauties at the store, figured out how to prepare and cook them (super easy), but as I was looking at many of the suggestions online and in cookbooks on how to eat them – with melted butter, mayonnaise, or hollandaise sauce – I knew that some radical differences were in store for my vegetables. More on that later.



It’s all news to me: artichokes are good for you!
Okay, so we’ve already identified that I am way out of the artichoke loop, fine. How was I supposed to know how full of fiber these things are? Or how they are loaded with antioxidants? Or that they are naturally very low in calories and virtually fat free? Did you know this? Why didn’t you tell me?
I’ve also learned that artichokes are a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, folate, and iron. And to top it all off, they are particularly supportive of liver health due to their cynarin content.
Again: why didn’t anyone tell me?!

I know I am not the only one out there that is jumping on the artichoke wagon, so here is some easy information on how to prepare these totally delicious treats.
Directions:
1. First, wash the artichoke thoroughly. Hold the artichoke under cold running water. Rinse in between the leaves without pulling on them. Turn the artichoke upside down (stem side up) and give a good shake. Dry the artichoke with a clean towel.
2. Using a large knife, cut off the top 1 1/2" to 2" of the artichoke. This is where the leaves are most tightly bunched.
3. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut off the sharp points from the leaves.
4. Cut off the stem flush with the base.
5. Place the artichoke in a steamer basket over boiling water. Steam for 25-45 minutes until one of the leaves can be removed easily.
Here are some pictures.


So yeah, lots of gloppy dips out there to totally negate the low-fat, low-calorie tasty-ness that attract people to artichokes in the first place. My version is super flavourful, but uses just a hint of olive oil and pungent ingredients to make your mouth sing.
This dip is somewhat similar to my Green Giant Cilantro Pesto, except for the parsley content and the real kick from the jalapeno. I would suggest making a double batch if you’re serving a crowd, or you want leftover for a sandwich spread (holy, delicious).

Cilantro Parsley Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups cilantro
½ cup parsley
juice and zest of 2 limes
4 Tbsp. cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt
2-3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp. raw honey

Directions:
1. Wash and dry herbs well.
2. Roughly chop herbs, garlic, and jalapeno, then put them in a blender with the remaining ingredients.
3. Pour into a serving dish and enjoy.


I have come to two conclusions after all my artichoke exploits:
#1 – Artichokes are delicious. I probably should have mentioned that before. I plan on eating them much more often than never.
#2 – No matter how much I think I know about food, there is always something new to learn about and discover. The world is so exciting!

That sounded like an after school special. Sorry. You get the point. Sheesh.

Peachy Keen Raw Cobbler

Oh dear friends, it is so good to be back! And if you could only see where I have ended up – a place worthy to be called a Sarah B-style paradise. Tee hee.

I am on farm in northern Califonia wwoofing for the next month or so, getting my life bearings, exploring, learning, and surrendering to all the beauty that is the natural world. It feels incredible to be surrounded by organic gardens bursting with fruits and vegetables, beautiful animals, and exceptional people. I have been in the kitchen for many of my hours here so far, as we have so much food coming in from the garden that needs to be made into something! Sigh. Tough life. Needless to say I am in my element, and on my knees with gratitude for ending up in such an abundant place.

The peaches here are literally falling off the trees, so heavy with juice, and crying out for a special purpose (although eating them straight off the branch works for me too). We’ve been harvesting them daily and using them in everything from salads to relishes, chutneys, sorbets, pies, dressings, and we even threw a whole bunch in the dehydrator to have peaches in the winter. Having this much of one type of produce breeds creativity, some interesting experiments, and a lot of delicious food.

Late Beta Carotene Bloomers
Perhaps it’s just the delicious anticipation, but having to wait all year for that extraordinary, bright first bite of a ripe peach is like an epiphany. It is on those occasions when I feel pretty stoked that peaches are actually healthy, because I eat them like, well, they are going out of season. The orange colour of peaches is thanks to beta carotene, the same phytonutrient responsible for giving carrots their pigment, as well as sweet potatoes, and winter squash. Beta carotene protects your cells from free radical damage, which causes cancer, heart diseases, arthritis and other diseases related to aging. It is also responsible for good eyesight and formation of the mucous membrane of the urinary, digestive and respiratory tracts.

Beta carotene is fat-soluble, meaning that it requires the presence of dietary fat in order for your body to absorb it. Bonus! I sneakily made a crust out of healthy-fat nuts so that you can be assured to take in all that beautiful beta carotene and your cells can bathe in orange, healing goodness – at least that is what I picture going on.



Today, the peaches wanted to be eaten raw, but I was also looking for a “comforting” way of serving them. Seeing as I am in the great U.S.of A. I thought a cobbler was in order – nothing says America more to me than cobbler (except maybe chicken fried steak). A cobbler is traditionally baked, but to highlight the ridiculous juicy-goodness that the peaches possess, I figured out a way to keep all the ingredients out of the oven. Success.
This recipe is pretty flexible. Use the number of peaches available to you, and try to buy locally if possible. I realize that in many parts of the U.S. and Canada peaches are on their way out, so use up the last of this season because it sure will be a while before we see them again.

Peachy Keen Raw Cobbler
Ingredients:
Filling
• 8 ripe peaches
• juice of ½ lemon
• 4 soft dates, soaked
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• dash ground cinnamon

Topping:
• 2 cups nuts (I used half walnuts + half pecans)
• 1 cup soft dates
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (or more to taste)
• pinch sea salt

Directions:
1. Wash and cut up five peaches into bite-sized chunks. Set aside.
2. Remove the pits from the remaining three peaches and place them in a food processor with the rest of the filling ingredients. Blend into a smooth sauce. Pour over cut peaches and gently fold to combine.
3. Rinse the food processor and add the topping ingredients. Pulse until a chunky crumble-like consistency is reached, or blend to your liking.
4. Pour peach filling into a pie dish. Sprinkle topping over the filling, garnish.
5. Serve to hungry farmer friends.

Vegan Caesar Salad - Hold the Anchovies

Holy cow, it's September.
This means that my honeymoon is almost over (sad face), summer is coming to a close (really big sad face), but harvest season is in full swing and autumn goodies are on their way! This is my consolation.

While we still have some lovely local lettuces in store however, I thought that this recipe by my friend and health crusader, Meghan Telpner, was the perfect way to use up what's left of the summer's greens. Her creation is a ceasar salad that is ridiculously scrumptious and completely vegan, meaning that it's a much waist-friendlier version of your indulgent classic...



Contrary to popular belief, I am not a strict vegan. As my friend Elana, who was once macrobiotic and is now indulging in raw cheeses and fish says, “labels are for tin cans”. I agree. But I have my limits when it comes to eating foods that once had eyes.

My mom happens to make the very best caesar salad that there ever was. That there ever was until I developed my vegan version. I have no problem eating my mom’s awesome salad, but I do have a hard time taking those little squigley fish out of the can and putting them into a blender. I needed and alternative that I could take with me to people’s homes when they invited me for summer BBQs.

See, I am not a vegan, but I also prefer not to eat food that comes off a BBQ (that’s a whole lotta heat going on). Since I rarely, if ever have the appetite for actual meat type foods, any wee bit of an appetite that I may have gets absolutely squashed, squelched and eliminated whenever I see a BBQ grill loaded down with a zoos-worth of animals, and animal assemblages (read- mixed meat burgers, hot dogs and sausages).

As per my pot-luck rule, I like to bring a dish that could serve as my whole meal, and given that I have now gone through 21 of my 24 packs of tempeh, I am a whizz with this probiotic rich, protein dense, healthfully fermented, great meat sub, delicious food. You name it, I can make it with tempeh!

I figured that I could make tempeh to to do a great impersonation of bacon, make croutons out of some sprouted whole grain bread, mix-master up a dressing that had that little bit of tang, that little bit of creamy, and that little bit of salty, well my BBQ hostesses with the mostesses, I had a winner!

Blow those horns of victory because I do! I do have a winner and here she be- the bestest, lightest, canned-fish free, Vegan Caesar Salad. She truly is a BBQ’s best girlfriend and will totally hold her own against any sausage fest, and will surely humiliate the mayo-clad potato salad.


Tempeh Bits
Ingredients:
1 block of tempeh, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
3 Tbs tamari
3 Tbs olive oil

* Heat olive oil over medium heat
* Add in tempeh cubes and lightly sautee until browned
* Add in tamari and cook until fully absorbed.
* Remove from heat and set aside

Croutons
Ingredients:
3-4 pieces of stale bread, or ends (I used Ezekial sprouted grain bread), cut into 1/2 inch squares
2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped finely
1 Tbs dry or 2-3 Tbs fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbs olive oil

* Heat olive oil over medium heat
* Add in garlic and oregano coat in oil
* Toss in bread and mix throughly until bread is lightly coated in herbed oil
* Leave on low-medium heat, stirring and turning occasionally to avoid burning
* Once evenly toasted, remove from heat and set aside.

Vegan Caesar Dressing
Ingredients:
2 Tbs almonds (ground) or almond butter
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbs nutritional yeast
2 Tbs tamari
1 lemon, juiced
3 Tbs dijon mustard
1/3 cup water
1 Tbs olive oil (or flax oil)

* Blend
* Pour over salad

Now go on and tantalize the BBQ meat eaters with this treat and leave out the word vegan. BBQ meat eaters think vegans are hippies. Yep. Generalizing.

Meghan Telpner, Certified Nutritionist and Chief Love Maker of her blog Making Love In The Kitchen, delivers a refreshingly realistic approach to nutrition and healthy living. Based in Toronto, Meghan is the director of The Love In The Kitchen Academy cooking school as well as Nourish Your Soul Holidays, leading healthy living retreats world-wide. With humour and passion, Meghan inspires people to take a look at their lives and to start living their dreams now. Her enthusiasm, charisma, positive energy and dynamism are truly motivating and inspiring.

Thanks Meghan!
I hope you all enjoy the dish and I will be back to post my own recipes very soon!