One of my favorite appetizers is Artichokes Tiganites at Yia Yia Mary’s. Yummy, fried, veggie goodness! My only critique is that it is a little too salty for my taste, but I still love it.

I was craving it recently, and since the only restaurant location is in Houston, I decided to try to recreate the dish with a little less salt and pan-fried instead of deep-fried.

Voila! Allow me to present my own variation of garlic artichoke hearts:

Garlic artichoke hearts

Artichokes are fat-free and contain fewer carbs than an apple (13g – only 1g is sugar), and they pack a whopping 7g of fiber, which brings the carb count down to 6g. A medium artichoke even has about 4g of protein – excellent for a veggie!

My recipe:

• 1 can Artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic (I actually used about 3T, but the consensus of my sous chefs was that it was “a bit heavy on the garlic,” so I would recommend using a bit less)
• dash of salt, to taste

Saute the minced garlic in olive oil until aromatic. Add artichokes & salt and pan-fry on medium-high until heated through. Serve immediately.

If you need further convincing to give this unusual veggie a try, consider this: even my picky one liked it! 😉  I think he has finally come to realize that if he’s going to have his own show on the Food Network someday, then he’s going to have to branch out and try new things. He described the dish as “a meaty texture and garlicky.” I made him repeat, “It’s good!” about three times, just to be sure that I heard him correctly. Heehee