roasted baby artichokes with a garlic lemon aioli

Does it seem like I am avoiding talking about Thanksgiving this year?  Well ... I'm not.  

Okay ... maybe I am. 

It's not that I do not love Thanksgiving.  How could it not be my favorite holiday, right after Christmas? 

It is not that I do not want to cook a giant meal for family and eat and chat all day long.  It's not that I do not want to have one too many slices of apple pie, or two too many helpings of stuffing (my fav).  

It's just that ... well .... I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but here it goes.  

I am not cooking for Thanksgiving this year.  

This new tradition actually started last year.  On the heels of a hard-working busy year, Michael and I decided that instead of adding another thing on the to-do list ... why don't we let someone cook for us.  Why don't we take the whole family and enjoy Thanksgiving out.  So we did.  And you know what?  It was great. 

So great we decided we want to do it again this year. I'm so excited to let someone else do the cooking. 

So what does all of this Thanksgiving chat have to do with baby artichokes?  Not much. But these little guys are awesome and delicious. If you are the one doing the cooking for Thanksgiving this year, you can serve these as an appetizer (if that's how you roll). If you are a guest, you can bring them to the party. Or, if you're like me and you're eating out this year, you can make these for yourself any day as a special homemade treat.  

roasted baby artichokes with a garlic lemon aioli 

Prep Time / Cook Time
20 minutes / 15 minutes

Makes
20 pieces, an appetizer portion for 3-4 people

Ingredients

10 baby artichokes
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
salt & pepper
1/4 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (optional)

lemon garlic aioli:

1/4 cup of vegenaise or mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
a pinch of salt and white pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425º
• Place a medium sized pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of water and squeeze in the juice of one lemon. (You will place the artichokes in the water once they are peeled and sliced to keep them from turning brown.) 
• Start prepping your artichokes. Pull off the dark green outer leaves until you get to the tender, inner yellow ones.  Cut off the top 1/2 inch.  Then cut off most of the steam, and using a paring knife shave off the rough edges around the base. Slice the artichoke in half and place them in the bowl of lemon water. Repeat until all of the artichokes are done. 
• Transfer the artichokes into the boiling water and blanch for 3 minutes. 
• Remove the artichokes from the water and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Toss them with the oil and arrange them with the outer edges facing down. 
• Season the artichokes with the salt & pepper, and then sprinkle the bread crumbs and parmesan on top. 
• Place them in the over and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. 
• While the artichokes are baking, make your aioli.  Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until they are combined.  Cover and place in the fridge until you're ready to use. 
• Serve the artichokes warm with the chilled aioli. 

Enjoy.