Get Kids Involved Eating Artichokes

One way to get children to try new foods is to dispense with formal table manners and let them eat with their fingers. Because artichokes are meant to be eaten by hand, kids are more likely to try this green vegetable. For the grown-ups, roasted garlic is blended with low-fat cream cheese, lemon juice, and dried herbs to make a gourmet style dipping sauce. For the children, the artichokes are dipped in ranch dressing or mayonnaise depending on their preference. Begin by making the garlic dipping sauce first since roasting the garlic takes the most time or use fresh roasted garlic found in the produce section at many supermarkets to shorten the preparation time.

Fresh Artichokes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 2 adults and 2 children

4 medium to large size artichokes, rinsed
4 lemon slices
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 yellow onion, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt

GROWN-UPS
Roasted Garlic Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

CHILDREN
1/4 cup ranch dressing or mayonnaise

Fill a pot, large enough to hold all the artichokes at once, with about 3 inches of water. Add the lemon slices, garlic, onions, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer. Using a stainless steel knife, cut the stems from the base of the artichokes so that they stand upright. Slice off the top of the artichoke about half way from the base.

Place the artichokes in the pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until tender, 30-35 minutes depending on their size. To check for doneness, tug on a leaf from the center, it should pull out easily. Be careful not to overcook because the artichokes will fall apart. Remove the artichokes and invert to drain. Place the artichokes in shallow bowls or salad plates with the garlic dipping sauce or ranch dressing served in small bowls on the side.

To eat the artichokes, pull off the outer leaves, one at a time, beginning at the bottom. Dip the fleshy base into the sauce or dressing. Place the bottom half of the leaf in your mouth and draw it between your teeth so that you scrape off the tender flesh. When you reach the inner leaves, which look like thin pink flower petals, remove the entire section to expose the choke. The base of these leaves can be bitten off rather than scraped between the teeth. Scoop out the choke with a spoon to expose the artichoke bottom. Cut into quarters, dip and eat.

GROWN-UPS
Calories 130; Calories from fat 25; Total fat 3g; Saturated fat 2g;
Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 480mg; Carbohydrate 22g; Dietary fiber 7g; Sugars 3g; Protein 7g

CHILDREN
Calories 170; Calories from fat 100; Total fat 11g; Saturated fat 1.5g;
Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 530mg; Carbohydrate 15g; Dietary fiber 6g; Sugars 2g; Protein 5g

Roasted Garlic Dipping Sauce
Time to table: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 2

1 whole head of garlic
Olive oil spray
2 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs like fines herbes or herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons water
Salt for seasoning

Set oven temperature to 350 degrees. Cut the garlic head in half horizontally. Coat both halves with olive oil spray and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour. Mix the cream cheese and dried herbs together. Cover and refrigerate. Remove the garlic from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Squeeze the garlic from the casings into the cream cheese. Mash with a fork. Stir in the lemon juice and water to reach the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.