Stolen My Heart

There is absolutely nothing more sumptuous to me right now than biting into a succulent artichoke heart.

The taste.  The texture.  The way the leaves part between my teeth as they move across my molars…

You'll have to excuse me.  I'm having a moment.

I seriously just cannot get enough!  I see them all over the grocery store right now, which leads me to believe they must be in season but, it's not the fresh ones that have stolen my ticker, it's the jarred hearts that run a pretty penny that have me sighing satisfactions.

I've been eating them "straight-out-the-jar" for a delightful snack or plopping them in salads creating "most coveted" bites.

Artichokes look pretty intimidating and they're not exactly the easiest thing to work with fresh.  But, if you're willing to put in the time, they're leaves with the light green, meaty base make an equally fun and flavorful hands-on snack that will leave you with a lingering desire for more.

A Little Slice of Heaven

Sooooooooo… this morning, I don't really have a ton of time to explain just how bomb this salad is.  So, I'm hoping this picture will speak, if not a thousand, at least like 300 or 400 words, all on its own and inspire you to make one for yourself this weekend for a refreshing change to your salad routine.

What we have here is:
a) 1 sliced golden delicious apple
b) a light drizzling of agave nectar
c) freshly ground, black pepper
d) a sprinkling of toasted almond dust (toast almonds then pulse in food processor until ground)
e) a sprinkling of goat cheese crumbles (optional)
f) a light drizzling of balsamic vinaigrette
*microwave on High for about 20 seconds

You can enjoy this slivery twist on a salad warm or chilled.  You could also substitute the goat cheese for a little feta or, for a vegan friendly option, you could forego the cheese altogether!

One of the things I love most about this salad (aside from the flavors and the taste-bud tantalizing cornucopia of textures) is that it is so different and unique from anything I've created in the past.  There may be some out there who wouldn't even consider this a salad.  The point I'm ultimately getting at here though is that this salad, like many other homemade concoctions, is not only delicious and nutritious but, it also has the added bonus of totaling only about 280 calories!  Yes!!!!!  Only 280 calories!!!!!

This is also totally a picnic friendly snack!  A fancy picnic snack…

I have to run this morning but I do hope this will inspire you to try something new on your plate this weekend.

Happy Eating,
Rachel