Sunday, April 8, 2012

Roasted artichoke, basil, tomato and garlic pasta


(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
Basil - about 15 large leaves chopped
Cherry Tomatoes - 10 to 15 tomatoes cut in halves
5 or 6 garlic cloves - use a garlic press or finely chop
1/2 teaspoon of no/low salt vegan chicken flavor boullion or vegetarian boullion
Roasted artichoke hearts - about 10 halves
olive oil
cooked pasta of your choice

In a large pan saute: garlic in olive oil, then add tomatoes and half of the chopped basil. When tomatoes start to get a little tender add in roasted artichoke hearts.
Sprinkle in boullion.
Lower heat to medium low & add cooked pasta and combine til all heated together. Take off of stove and top with remainder of fresh basil. Optional: freshly grated parmesan or vegan parmesan.
Enjoy!

Marinated & Roasted Artichoke Hearts


Clean fresh young artichokes to use hearts. During artichoke cleaning process, put cleaned artichokes in a large bowl filled with cool water, 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup of vinegar. When all are cleaned and marinade mixture is ready, slice the artichokes lengthwise in half.

In another large bowl (amount of ingredients based taste and amount of artichoke hearts) combine:
Dried basil
Fresh chopped Italian parsley
Himalayan finely ground salt
Fresh finely chopped garlic or garlic powder
lemon zest
lemon juice
olive oil

Toss in artichoke halves and make sure all are coated with marinade. Let artichokes sit in marinade for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Set oven or toaster oven to 425 degrees F.
Spread artichokes evenly across an aluminum foiled baking sheet (I use the nonstick variety).
Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until soft and lightly browned.