Artichokes are part of the perfect food triangle. What is the food triangle you may ask? Well, it’s Artichokes, Avocados and Asparagus; three foods that not only taste great but are good for you too. They are full of vitamins, minerals and oils that will keep you healthy, so go on, eat em up yum!

Now, about the artichokes, most people I know eat artichokes with either butter or mayonnaise. Either way, that’s not too healthy. Here, we pair them with garlic and some Italian dressing and toss them into the fire. Oil and Fire. Could it get any better?

• 4 small to medium artichokes (actually, you can make as much as you want, they store well and continue to marinate)
• 1 cup of low fat Italian dressing. (I use olive oil and red vinegar with a dash of salt and pepper, so feel free to be creative)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic diced (go on, toss in another 2-3 cloves, we’re all friends here and I’m not going to kiss you anyways)

Here’s the most important part. Peel the outside leaves off the artichokes, right down to the bright green leaves. Cut the pointed leaf tips with scissors or a knife and trim the stem. Boil these bad boys for about 15 minutes. If you are familiar with artichokes, we want to cook them about  of the way through. If artichokes are new to you, don’t worry, you can over cook them and they will be fine. Artichokes take a little bit of practice, so go longer rather than shorter and adjust as you learn.

Let the artichokes cool. When you can handle them, cut them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the “hair” just above the hearts. You’ll create a nice little hollow that will hold in all the garlic and marinade. Place them in a Tupperware or other suitable marinating device. Toss in the Italian dressing and garlic and seal. Let marinate for a few hours to a few days. When you are ready to eat, place them on a BBQ for about 5 minutes to char the outside and warm the inside. Don’t let them burn! This is good stuff kids. Trust me.

This is some of the best salsa you will ever have and it is so simple to make that anyone can do it. Now, ideally, you should use what I call a “salsinator” but it’s really one of those small hand cranked plastic food mixer/choppers that you see advertised “As Seen on TV” or in the malls. Without a doubt, they make some awesome salsa. If you prefer to hand chop, get a sharp knife, but please, don’t use an electric food processor. Ready? Grab your tomatoes.

• 4 ripe Roma tomatoes (Roma’s are great for salsa because they are meaty, but any tomatoes will work)
• 1 bunch of Mexican Onions
• 1 bunch of Cilantro
• 1 can (7 oz) of El Pato salsa or another of your choosing (not tomato sauce)
• 1 Jalapeno pepper (seeded and diced)
• salt to taste

Chop tomatos to a medium consistency (ok, I like it medium, if you like it fine, keep chopping). Finely chop onion whites and green tops. Pull off a handful of Cilantro, rinse, chop and add to taste (I’m not a huge fan of Cilantro, but you do need at least some in the salsa). Toss in the chopped Jalapeno and add some of your favorite hot sauce to taste if you like. Add 1 can of El Pato and then add water to thin the mixture out to your liking.

Everything you just did takes about 5 minutes. In the salsinator, it takes about 20 seconds, and you get a quick forearm workout!

Makes a serving size bowl. You can refrigerate for several days and use it in place of dressing, sauces, etc.

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