Spring is here, so I’ve made it a point to start focusing on “body friendly” recipes as much as I can. I especially appreciate light dishes this time of year because as it gets warmer, I wear more skin-bearing clothes so I want to look good and feel good! I usually find my inspiration from seasonal products and this month, I found it in artichokes. Artichokes are a fantastic spring vegetable; they are antioxidant rich, and they also cost a little less when in season. So with all that going for them and some beautiful "Sangria" artichokes I found at Trader Joe's, I dreamed up one of my favorites new healthy appetizers: Steamed Artichoke Leaves with Chicken Salad.
Have you also ever seen them bloom those gorgeous purple flowers? I’m obsessed. Anyway, this dish is low carb but it tastes fantastic. Simply grill or steam your artichoke, pull off the leaves and place on a plate and then top them with my easy chicken salad recipe below.
You can use a baked, grilled or broiled chicken breast, but to make my life easier and get rid of some leftovers, I used a leftover breast from one of those tasty whole rotisserie chickens I buy pre-roasted at the store. Easy peasy! Also, we all know the heart is one of the best parts, so don’t forget to save that part and eat it too. You could also dice the artichoke heart up and mix it in the chicken salad if you want a “heartier” texture. See what I did with that? Heeeeee-heee. I hope you enjoy my healthy new happytizer and let me know what you think!
Remove leaves from artichoke and place on a large plate. Place chicken, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, Castleventrano olive juice (optional, but it adds a great layer of flavor), Parmesan cheese, Tobasco, chives and a pinch of ground pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly (add salt if necessary). Next, place a teaspoon of the chicken salad on each artichoke leaf and then garnish with additional chopped chives. Enjoy!
