Artichoke Dinner by Ruth Paget
One artichoke usually contains 60 calories and is full of nutrients, making it a dieter’s delight. I like more substantial meals and like to add yogurt with honey, a little salami, toast with butter, and a few fruit and nut cream filled macaron pastries (available at COSTCO) to my artichoke dinners. This meal is a little more French than Italian, but very American in that I live in Monterey County California which is said to produce 2/3 of the world's artichokes with the artichoke capital being Castroville.
I usually cover and steam the artichokes whole for 40 minutes, adding water every 10 minutes. Then, I let the artichokes stand for 20 minutes after turning off the heat. You only eat the base ends of the leaves and the heart at the bottom minus the leaves dunked in vinaigrette.
I used information from the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the National Institutes of Health, and Harvard Medical School to find the following percentages of nutrients in artichokes and the role these nutrients in the body:
-fiber (28%) promotes intestinal transit and waste elimination
-protein (8%) repairs and builds body tissues
-Vitamin C (25%) protects cells and keeps them healthy
-iron (8%) is a mineral the body needs for growth and development
-potassium (13%) is a mineral that helps muscles and nerves to function
-Vitamin B6 (5%) is important for normal brain development
-magnesium (19%) helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function
-calcium (55) is a mineral most often associated with healthy bones and teeth
Artichokes are so good for you that you almost forget that they taste great in vinaigrette or creamy salad dressing dip.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
