Interesting and delicious Artichokes

Last night I made an artichoke for the first time. I had no idea what to do with it. I didn't know if it was super good for me, or high in fat (like avocado & olives). How I cooked and ate it is below the nutrition facts. Be sure to use the garlic, bay leaf, and lemon (or lemon juice). Eat it by itself. No dips. Don't forget to eat the heart! It turned out to be a perfect appetizer to our meal.  Its slow to eat so you can socialize while eating, and didn't fill us up. I only ate a little because I was POSITIVE it had to be a fattening vegetable. It was delicious!

The typical American diet is notoriously lacking in fiber, due to the heavy reliance on processed foods and meat products.  Adding a large artichoke to the daily diet would add 6 grams of dietary fiber or ¼^th the amount recommended by the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services.  One medium artichoke has more fiber than a cup of prunes!   

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I think the first chart is if you consumed the whole thing, which is hard to do. The second chart is the "edible" part. 

California Artichokes are a low calorie food, a fat free food, a cholesterol free food, low in sodium, a good source of fiber, a good source of vitamin C, a good source of folate, and a good source of magnesium. How to Cook and Eat an Artichoke METHOD How to Cook an Artichoke 1. If the artichokes have little thorns on the end of the leaves, take a kitchen scissors and cut of the thorned tips of all of the leaves. This step is mostly for aesthetics as the thorns soften with cooking and pose no threat to the person eating the artichoke.   2. Slice about 3/4 inch to an inch off the tip of the artichoke. 3. Pull off any smaller leaves towards the base and on the stem. 4. Cut excess stem, leaving up to an inch on the artichoke. The stems tend to be more bitter than the rest of the artichoke, but some people like to eat them. Alternatively you can cut off the stems and peel the outside layers which is more fibrous and bitter and cook the stems along with the artichokes. 5. Rinse the artichokes in running cold water. 6. In a large pot, put a couple inches of water, a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon, and a bay leaf (this adds wonderful flavor to the artichokes). Insert a steaming basket if you have one. Add the artichokes. Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25 to 45 minutes or until the outer leaves can easily be pulled off. Note: artichokes can also be cooked in a pressure cooker (about 15-20 minutes cooking time). Cooking time depends on how large the artichoke is, the larger, the longer it takes to cook. How to Eat an Artichoke 1. Pull off outer petals, one at a time.   2. Dip white fleshy end in melted butter or sauce. Tightly grip the other end of the petal. Place in mouth, dip side down, and pull through teeth to remove soft, pulpy, delicious portion of the petal. Discard remaining petal.   Continue until all of the petals are removed.   3. With a knife or spoon, scrape out and discard the inedible fuzzy part (called the "choke") covering the artichoke heart. The remaining bottom of the artichoke is the heart. Cut into pieces and dip into sauce to eat.