Vegan Stuffed Artichokes filled with saut?ed mushrooms & lightly seasoned rice. Paired with a lemon & garlic infused vegan butter dipping sauce. ?These are the makings of a memorable meal.
A perfectly prepared vegan stuffed artichoke with seared tofu, and roasted root veggies. Yum!
There’s something almost luxurious about a beautifully prepared artichoke. I think it has a lot to do with not only the steps involved in cooking them, but also the wonderful ritual of eating an artichoke – one tender petal at a time – until you reach that fabulous heart. These vegan stuffed artichokes are decadently delish.
Artichokes are fun food. Share one large artichoke with a friend as a perfect starter for a meal. The heart is the best part, so try not to fight over who gets the biggest bite! Better yet, make enough for everyone!
What are artichokes?
Artichokes are the unopened buds of a thistle plant. The variety we commonly enjoy is known as the globe or green artichoke, made up of layers of thick green edible petals surrounding a ‘heart’, the favorite delicacy of the artichoke. Between the petals and the heart is a fuzzy center or “choke”. If an artichoke isn’t harvested, it can continue growing over 6′ in height. The petals will eventually open to reveal a bright violet-blue choke flower, which is un-edible.
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Are artichokes healthy?
Artichokes are not only delicious, they’re nutritious! They’re loaded with vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, K and folate, as well as iron, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. Plus, they’re high in fiber, low in fat and contain antioxidants.
How to cook artichokes
If you’re lucky enough to find artichokes with long stems, you’ll definitely want to use them. First thing you’ll need to do is thoroughly rinse your artichokes in a deep bowl or pot. Fill the pot with water and allow the artichokes to soak for at least 5 minutes, fully submerged. Next, swish the chokes briskly in the water (you can use the stems as handles!)
Remove the stems near the base. Use a paring knife or veggie peeler to remove outer layer of stems. Discard the outer layer, but keep the stems, which are extensions of the heart. More for you to enjoy!
Use scissors to trim off all the sharp thorny tips from each petal. Use a sharp knife to cut top 1/2″ off artichoke. Now here’s the tricky part. Using either a large, sharp edged spoon, serrated grapefruit spoon, or curved knife, cut out just the very center cluster of leaves, digging inside as deep as possible without cutting through the heart. You only need to remove enough petals to expose the choke. Scoop out the fuzzy choke and rinse well.
Using a large pot with a steamer, fill pot with about 3″ water. Add sliced lemon, celery, garlic, and a bay leaf. Put the steamer on the pot. Place artichokes upside down into steamer. Cover. Steam on medium-high heat for about 45 minutes or just until tender. You can test for readiness by pulling on one of the petals. If it pulls off easily, they’re ready. Be careful not burn yourself. I use tongs to lift them out of the steamer.
?Tip: You can prepare these in an Instapot or pressure cooker. Follow product directions. Just be sure not to overcook them.
How to make vegan stuffed artichokes
While your artichokes are steaming, it’s the perfect time to make the rice filling. Prepare the rice according to package directions. I LOVE using a rice cooker. It’s so convenient and I’m always guaranteed to have perfectly steamed rice. While the rice is cooking, you can saut? the mushrooms and prepare the veggies for the rice.
Oh the aroma of fresh mushrooms simmering in vegan butter and a splash of white wine. ?NOTE: You can omit the wine and add a splash or vegetable broth or bouillon instead.
Once the mushrooms are tender, saut? some garlic, add fresh celery, and then combine it all with the rice.
When your artichokes are cooked, fill the centers of each with the rice stuffing & get ready to eat!
About those artichoke stems, remember them? We roasted ours! Place the peeled stems on a baking sheet. Brush with a little olive oil and toss on some lemon wedges. Place them in the broiler for a few minutes until they begin to brown. Delish!
And there you have it! A perfectly prepared & delicious vegan stuffed artichoke. Feeling hungry yet?
How to eat an artichoke
?Have one or two different dipping sauces to enjoy with your artichoke. I suggest a lemon & garlic infused melted butter and a vegan aioli, which you can easily make with any vegan mayo mixed with freshly minced garlic or herbs.
?Artichokes can be enjoyed hot or cold, I prefer mine hot.
?Be sure to have a medium-large bowl on hand for discarded petals.
- Start with the outermost petals and work your way toward the center.
- Simply pull off a petal, one at a time.
- Dip the base end of the petal into melted lemon butter or vegan aioli. Lightly bite down on the petal and pull it through your teeth to remove the meaty part of petal.
- For an unstuffed artichoke, once you reach the fuzzy center or ‘choke’, use a spoon to scrape away the fuzz to reveal the heart, which is the best part of the artichoke!
very vegan ?very good
Vegan Stuffed Artichokes
Equipment
- 1 large double boiler with steamer
- 1 large skillet
- curved paring knife or serrated spoon
- baking sheet
- rice cooker or covered saucepan
- spatula
Ingredients
- 4 whole artichokes washed, trimmed, cored
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 whole lemons sliced into wedges
- 4 stalks celery dice 3 stalks, halve one
- 2 C brown rice steamed
- 1 lb mushrooms cremini or button
- 4 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 C white wine
- 1/4 tsp basil
Instructions
- Prepare artichokes by washing, rinsing, trimming off sharp tips from petals and coring center petals. Be sure to completely remove fuzzy choke inside. (See detailed instructions in post)
- Place artichokes upside down in steamer. Place steamer over pot containing 3" water, 1 clove minced garlic, lemon wedges, celery stalk cut in half, bay leaf. Cover artichokes and steam over med-high heat for approx. 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from steamer.
- While artichokes are cooking, prepare rice according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saut? sliced mushrooms in butter, 1 minced garlic clove, wine, and basil. Cook until tender. Remove mushrooms from pan.
- In same skillet, saut? 1 minced clove garlic. Add 3 stalks diced celery. Add cooked rice. Stir in mushrooms, thoroughly combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill center of artichokes with rice stuffing. Serve with melted garlic butter and lemon or vegan aioli.
Notes
Nutrition
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