[lilian]

I've always heard these are amazingly healthy, and I just recently realized I can buy them frozen from Trader Joe's.

The problem: I steamed them and they tasted like sour toilet paper. One of my friends suggested that I'm supposed to dip them in a melted butter sauce, but to me that just defeats the health-factor. Does anyone have any relatively healthy recipes for preparing them?

[StinkyMonkey]

I use them as toppings when i make homemade pizza....yummy.

[*Lo]

I like them in like a vinigrette, yummy!

[daisyduke947]

Garlic, olive oil, and vinegar. Put them on pizza too. Fabulous.
I'd go to epicurious.com and look at their recipes. You can find amazing recipes to put them into.

[pidgeon92]

Artichokes are not naturally sour. To truly appreciate them, you need to steam a fresh artichoke, and a nice dipping sauce on the side is the way to go. I always use garlic butter, but I'm sure you can find lots of healthier alternatives.

Preparing artichokes to steam is very easy. There are good instructions on this page:

http://www.oceanmist.com/products/ar...chokeprep.aspx

[jellybebe]

I like to put them in pasta w/ sundried tomatoes. They go very well with tomatoes.

[luckygirl83]

This is sooo not healthy but I've had them fried (but w/o batter) at an Italian restaurant before. They served it as an appetizer with fresh mozzarella and greens. It was delicious.

[bagaholic85]

throw em on the grill (still frozen) and top with fresh lemon juice...sooo good!

[nikki213]

I buy the marinated artichoke hearts at Costco (they're available at regular grocery stores too) I put them in salad or put some on a plate with a little low fat shredded mozzarella and microwave it for about 1 minute. Soooo good!

[ShimmaPuff]

Originally Posted by bagaholic85

throw em on the grill (still frozen) and top with fresh lemon juice...sooo good!

Oh, I am going to do that! Mr Puff has the grill going just about every weekend.

And if I use I Can't Believe It Costs More Than Butter, there won't be any calorie issues.

[Zophie]

I've never had them from frozen, but I buy them in a can in water, not oil. I'll eat them with grilled fish usually.

[Coldplaylover]

I buy them in water too. There is nothing more yummy though then a big fresh artichoke that I steam and then dip in butter.

[exotikittenx]

I loooooooove marinated artichokes. They are delicious on pizza and in salads, as well as in dips!

[~bastet]

I buy the marinated ones, and make a dish of veal, artichoke hearts, and black olives. I make it a lot, it looks complicated when you serve it to people but it's quick to make because there's not a lot of chopping involved. The recipe is from a cookbook called A Flash in the Pan. It's not super healthy, but it's sooo tasty! Now that I think about it, you could probably substitute panko for flour and chicken for veal.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb veal scallops
1/4 cup flour
olive oil
2 four oz jars marinated artichoke hearts, with 3 or 4 tablespoons of the marinade reserved
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup pitted black olives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Method:
Pound veal scallops with a heavy skillet or meat tenderizer until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle meat w/ salt and pepper, and dredge in flour. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Brown the meat (about 5 mins total) and set on a plate. Leave drippings in the pan. Add artichokes and reserved marinade to pan. Add broth and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes, and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return meat to pan, add olives and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Dish it out onto plates and garnish w/ oregano.[

[louis loves fendi 818]

There is a pizza at old chicago called the king of hearts and it is the MOST AMAZING thing on the planet. SO good.