Today, dinner was Gardein lightly marinated meat-free dijon breasts, (Tee hee. Breasts), Artichokes, and Jasmine Rice.

There are a few different ways to cook fresh artichoke. They all start with cutting off most of the stem (leave about half an inch) and the top 3/4 of an inch or so of the leaves. Then I cook it like this:

• Put an inch or two of water in a pot.
• Add 1 tsp margerine, 1 tsp salt or garlic salt, and 2 tsp lemon juice.
• Put the artichokes in the pot, cover, and bring to a boil. (This is called broiling because you half boil, half steam the vegetable.)
• Cook for 15 minutes, turning over once.
  

If you've never eaten a fresh artichoke, the way you do it is to pull off the leaves and scrape the white soft flesh off of their bottom with your teeth (where they were attached to the whole). Some people like to dip the bottom of the leaf in melted margarine or mayonnaise before biting it. When you are almost out of leaves, cut off the tiny purple ones in the center (with a knife pointed slightly down to get their bottoms). Now you have the heart of the artichoke sitting on top of the stem. You can eat the whole heart. You can eat the stem too, if you like, but some people find it bitter.
Artichokes are one of those under-represented vegetables that most people don't usually eat. But they're good for you, taste yummy, are fun to eat, and make a good vegetable dish for a meal with a few parts to it.

My jasmine rice turned out amazingly flavourful and delicious today. Here is how I cooked it:

• Chop one small onion and two cloves of garlic.
• Saute in a sauce pan with olive oil until the onions are tender.
• Add the rice and stir to coat it with the oil.
• Add two cups of water, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 a cup of frozen peas. Stir.
• Let cook until the rice has absorbed the water. Around 20 minutes.
• Let sit for 5-10 minutes then serve.
  

I hope you enjoy these recipes.