Or at least I did not know about and I want to make them famous. I knew artichoke from the weird pizzas, but just the pickled version and mature soybeans, but not the immature soybeans in pods and definitely had no idea how to eat them. They are both not only healthy and low in calories, but they taste amazingly well. They are slow to eat, therefore you are going to feel full by the time you finish your portion, perfect hack for staying in shape!
Artichoke
I shied away from this plant for a long time, I simply did not understand what to do with it. The secret is the following, don’t attempt to eat it whole and stay away from the thorns on the leaves. That is all, once you know all this you won’t be able to stop eating it. In Spain it is very cheap when in season (November to March), around 1.3 eur per kg, so do try to eat lots of it during this period. Besides, it has very good nutritional values, low amount of carbohydrates, decent amount of protein, iron and magnesium.
How to prepare it?
Start with washing it, then cut off the top. Continue with some scissors and cut the top of every leaf, too so that there are no thorns left. Now cut it in half, it looks gorgeous:
Immediately sprinkle fresh lemon so it won’t get brown and once you are done with all, sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper and bake them at 180 C for 30 min. You can also have some dip, but I just enjoy them by themselves. Don’t forget to eat the heart: after you enjoy every leaf, clean the “hairy” part and enjoy the best part of the artichoke, the heart. You will be shocked how good it tastes!
Make sure you only suck the leaves at the base where they are connected to the flower, you can see in the picture that there is a non dry part, that is the one you want to eat:
Edemame
I discovered this simple food as a starter in an Asian restaurant – it is basically boiled immature soybeans pods. How happy I was to find them frozen in the supermarket for 1.7 eur the bag. So if you find it in your town, definitely try them. They are high in protein, very nutritious and sooo delicious.
Just boil them in water for 3 min, drain the water and let them cool for 1 min, sprinkle olive oil, salt, chili flakes and spicy paprika, mix them well and eat them all. Suck out only the beans and discard the pods. They are surprisingly tasty and so much healthier than chips.
Bon appetit!