Vegan Pasta Salad with Artichokes

To celebrate my Mom’s birthday, her fiancée decided we should all get together and throw her a surprise birthday party. Everyone is to bring a side dish and I knew exactly what I wanted to bring. My Mom’s favorite food in the whole world is the artichoke. Any way you can prepare them, she loves ‘em. With that in mind, I knew I wanted to make a simple pasta salad that could sit out during her celebration without having to worry about the dairy products in it spoiling in the warm weather. I love the crunch of the fresh vegetables and the sweet undertones of sun dried tomato. This salad serves a crowd.

What You Need:

1 lb whole wheat pasta
1 – 12 oz jar marinated artichokes, drained
3 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cucumber, diced
½ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, thinly sliced
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Zest of one lemon
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper


What To Do:

Combine oil and zest and set aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Prepare pasta according to packages instructions.  Make sure you salt the cooking water well (about a tablespoon of salt) because it's your only chance to season the noodles. Drain and rinse with cool water.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. For best results, make a day ahead.

Serves 12 - 14



Happy Birthday Mom!
Mary

How To Cook an Artichoke

I recently watch an episode of Alton Brown’s show where his main ‘guest’ was an artichoke. He always has the best explanations for the science behind cooking which appeals to the culinary nerd in me. He had several very helpful tips for preparing an artichoke. The one that stood out the most was the idea that you should not cover the boiling pot while cooking your ‘choke. What?! I’ve always just put the artichoke in water, put the lid on and boil, baby, boil. Alton had a long, scientific description of why you don’t want to do that, but in layman’s terms, the ‘choke releases a chemical that when trapped by a covered lid, turns the delicious thistle a shade similar to decaying zombie flesh. Ya, not very appetizing… He remedies this by using a steaming basket turned upside down over top the artichokes weighed down by a rock to keep them under water. I don’t have any kitchen rocks, but I had my own ideas of how to accomplish this. I decided that I would just keep the lid partially ajar so that said gases could escape, keeping my ‘choke a beautiful shade of green. Success!

What You Need:

2 artichokes
1 Tbs herbs de Provence
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black peppercorns
Water



What To Do:

Bring water, spices and artichokes to a boil in a large soup pot with lid ajar.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium so that the water is gently boiling.  Keep lid ajar during cooking process. I recommend rotating the artichoke after 15 minutes so that it cooks evenly.

After 30 minutes, check the ‘choke by using tongs to lift it out of the cooking liquid. If you can insert a knife into the heart easily, it’s done. If not, cook for an additional 5 minutes and check again. Cooking time depends on the size of the artichoke.

Once the heart is tender, remove artichokes from cooking liquid and allow water to drain off. Serve with lemon garlic butter.

Remember, an artichoke is a thistle and has an inedible portion nearest to the heart, after you’ve eaten through all the leaves. Simply scrape off the inedible portion and enjoy the best part, the heart!

Serves 2 (as an entrée)


Bon Appétit!
Mary

Orzo Salad with Artichokes, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Orange Scented Balsamic Dressing

When the weather starts warming up, the last place I want to be at the end of the day is a hot kitchen. I prepared this salad while the cool morning air was still lingering to accompany my grilled salmon and asparagus for dinner last night. By cooking the pasta in chicken broth, you really boost the flavor of the pasta. If you happen to be out of broth, use well salted water instead. Also, if you don’t want to turn on the oven, you could blanch the broccoli for two minutes in boiling water and then shock in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. The ice water bath helps the broccoli retain its bright green color.  This salad can be made a day ahead. The longer the salad sits, the better it tastes. I highly recommend refrigerating it over night.

What You Need:

12 oz orzo, cooked as directed in chicken broth

14 oz can artichokes, quartered

½ - 8.5 oz jar julienned sun dried tomatoes
½ cup toasted pine nuts
12 oz roasted broccoli, recipe follows
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 recipe orange scented balsamic, recipe follows

What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  You could serve the salad immediately, but the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes.  I recommend refrigerating the salad for at least two hours, but preferably over night.

Serves a Crowd!

Bon Appetit!
Mary



Roasted Broccoli

What You Need:

12 oz broccoli pieces

½ Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

What To Do:

Roast in a 400* oven for 12-16 minutes, or until broccoli is golden brown at the edges. Set aside.






Orange Scented Balsamic

What You Need:

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2-3 small cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp honey
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp orange zest
Salt and pepper to taste

What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until dressing becomes slightly thickened. Set aside.