Whole Artichoke with Tahini Dip and Chickpea Rice

Veganly Delicious

This dish is very special to my partner and I. In fact, it is his recipe that I have included on this page. We both loved artichokes to begin with and when we first when vegan, it became one of our go-to recipes. Protein from the chickpeas and tahini, wonderful flavors from the cumin and coriander and a bit of bite from the lemon. Don't forget artichokes are an excellent source of antioxidants, supports heart health, helps lower LDL cholesterol, improves liver health, promotes bone health and help protect against cancer! We always left this meal feeling full and happy. When going vegan, it is important to find meals you love and as such, we wanted to share one of our favourites with the world. Happy eating. 😊

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Ingredients

Artichokes

• 1 Artichoke per person
• 1 cube (500ml) vegetable stock
• 2 garlic cloves

Chickpea Rice

• 1-2 yellow onion(s)
• 1-2 cups of brown rice
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can chickpeas
• 2 tsp dried coriander
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp turmeric
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Tahini dip

• Tahini paste
• 2-4 Garlic cloves
• 1 cube (500ml) vegetable stock
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Garnish

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds

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Instructions

• Artichokes

  Rinse the artichokes, remove stem and some small outer leaves and place in a large saucepan bottom-down. Add 2 garlic cloves and some water to the pan so the artichokes are sitting in 1-1.5 inches of water. Add 1 stock cube and bring to boil then cover and leave on lowest heat for 45 minutes.



• Chickpea and Onion

  While the artichokes are cooking, roughly chop the onion and add to a large pan with a little olive oil, stirring as not to burn the onion. Reduce the heat and add the chickpeas (including chickpea water from the can) and the other stock cube. Simmer on low heat while you prepare the rice.



• Rice

  Use 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice, or 3 cups of water for 2 cups of rice. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and then add the rice once it starts boiling. Stir for a minute so the rice doesn’t stick, then cover and put on the lowest flame. Turn the heat off as soon as the water is gone from the surface of the rice then leave the lid on for a further 5 minutes. Then stir the chickpeas, onion, turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to taste into the rice.



• Tahini

  Put some tahini paste in a mixing bowl. Then add 2-4 minced garlic cloves, lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Then add water a little at a time till the sauce is at your desired thickness. For extra tasty tahini, use the artichoke stock from the big saucepan.



• Serving

  Serve the artichoke on a bed of chickpea and onion rice, drizzle on the tahini and serve with a bowl of tahini on the side. For extra pizazz, sprinkle the artichoke with black sesame seeds and a smattering of smoked paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. Chuck on a handful of pomegranate seeds if you have some prepared.



• Eating

  Eat by dipping the artichoke leaves into the tahini and scraping off the meat of the leaves with your teeth. Discard the used leaves in a separate bowl and compost later. When you get to the heart, remove the hairs with a spoon or your fingers and enjoy the artichoke heart/bottom.

Buy artichokes

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