The "guts" are basically the same as the microgreen salad that I previously posted, but the dressing and surprise at the bottom is where the true yummyness lies!
Confession, I have never actually tried to "make" an artichoke. Growing up, I would eat the leaves with my mom. As I've gotten older, I love artichoke hearts on a salad or from a salad bar. But, I've never taken the plunge to prepare one at home. Until now. During my latest trip to Fresh Field farms, I saw the artichokes and thought, yes please! So yes, the artichoke hearts make this salad even more amazing. I believe you can buy them in a can as well, but I don't know about sodium content or taste. Proceed at your own risk!
Ingredients for dressing:
1/4C extra virgin olive oil
1/8C apple cider vinegar (I was out, so I used mostly red wine vinegar with a splash of balsamic)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1.5T fresh lemon juice
1T chopped parsley
1/2tsp Dijon mustard
1/2T pure maple syrup (you can also use raw honey)
Ingredients for salad:
1 medium carrot, shredded (I cut into matchstick sized pieces)
1 large cucumber, chopped
1-2 medium red bell peppers, chopped (you can use any color)
20-25 cherry tomatoes (you can also use a whole tomato, but the cherry ones stay fresher)
1-2 fresh artichokes (again, you can use canned hearts...I think!)
Lemon Juice (to use while preparing the artichoke hearts)
3-4C chopped napa cabbage
3-4C romaine (or your favorite salad greens)
Now for the easy part. Mix all of the dressing ingredients together and blend in a food processor. I didn't have one, so I whisked all of the ingredients together, let it sit in the fridge for about an hour, and then strained some of the garlic out (not all of it).
To prepare the artichoke, take all of the tough outer green leaves off. If you like to eat the meat off of the leaves, save them. You can blanch them all together. Otherwise, you can throw the leaves away. Trim off all of the outer green skin at the base of the artichoke and the stem. Rub lemon juice on the exposed artichoke. This will slow the browning process. Cut the remaining artichoke in half. Use a spoon (or melon baller if you have one) to scoop out all of the choke (the hairy "stuff"). Drop the remaining parts of the artichoke in boiling water for about 3-5 minutes. If you want to eat the leaves, add them to the boiling water. You can dip the leaves in lemon juice, any prepared dressing, or just eat them plain! Remove the artichoke from the boiling water and let dry/cool. Once they have cooled off, chop them up for the salad.
To make the salad, just layer the parts in the following order. Make sure the artichoke hearts are on the bottom to allow them to marinate in the dressing. Delish!! Then add: carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and finally the greens (mixed together). Stuff as much greens in the mason jars as will fit. You want it to be tight!
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you're ready to eat, just shake, dump, and enjoy! You can top the salad with any protein as well. My go to right now is roasted raw pumpkin seeds. Grilled chicken would be great too.
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| Ready to EAT! |
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