And this is what I like to call an "arti-party". 5 ingredients, 5 minutes of prep, 45 minutes of baking (aka not doing anything), a lifetime of happiness.

Okay, maybe not a lifetime - but you know what I mean.

Anywho, I am a huge fan of artichokes - they have a lot of great qualities that I look for in a food: they're fun to eat, they're versatile, they're good for you, and they're pretty to look at. You're welcome, artichokes - I just wrote your match.com profile for you. The one catch for me is that steaming them really stresses me out - which is a little embarrassing considering steaming doesn't take much skill to pull off. My special veggie steamer pot is too small for a normal-sized artichoke, but I still try to cram them in there and cross my fingers anyway. Inevitably I end up realizing I undercooked them once I plate them up all nice and my husband Kyle takes a bite of a leaf and almost breaks a tooth.

We recently had our friends Courtney and Craig over our house for dinner and I wanted to whip up some fun hors d'oeuvres to have when they arrived. Court's pregnant, so there are a bunch of foods that are currently on the no-fly list for her - which I naturally obsessed over until I walked past some artichokes at the store. Artichokes! Perfect!

Steaming them was not in the equation for obvious reasons, but artichokes can be cooked many ways, my friend. Being easy to eat is an important factor in hors d'oeuvres - so I still wanted to be able to eat them by pulling the leaves off one by one, which made roasting those little leafy guys seem like the best bet. And it was - they were full of flavor and so easy to make. Craig even said that he actually liked the taste of artichokes for the first time. That's a pretty big deal, guys!

Side note: Once you're done eating the meat off the leaves, chop the hearts into a few pieces so everyone can share the wealth - they're the best part.

Okay, enough with the stories - it's arti-party time:

Ingredients:

2 artichokes
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 lemon, cut into 4 slices
4 tbsp melted ghee
1 tbsp avocado oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F
Using scissors, cut the sharp ends of the outer artichoke leaves
Cut artichokes in half
Spoon out the feathery petals on the inside of the artichoke halves
Coat the bottom of an open-safe baking dish with melted ghee and avocado oil
Arrange 4 lemon slices, each with a whole garlic clove on top on the bottom of the baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover with artichoke halves, cut side down
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil
Roast until tender, about 45 min
Remove from the oven, and arrange on a platter (I like to dress the platter with the roasted lemons and garlic, and then drizzle the cooking juices over the top of the artichokes)
Squeeze fresh lemon and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve

Health Benefits:

Artichokes:

High in antioxidants
Anti-inflammatory
Improves liver health, promotes detoxification
Stimulates digestion and metabolic processes
Improves bone health and density
Beneficial to brain health
Promotes cardiovascular health

Lemon Garlic Roasted Artichokes