#MeatlessMonday: Stuffed Artichokes

Artichokes are by far one of my favorite veggies if not THE favorite. I even used one of those cuties as part of my post signature (I'll wait while you scroll down and look). Even as a little kid, I loved these leafy oddly shaped veggies while most of my friends did not. Some of my adult friends won't try them because they are "too much work." Well, I'll work for my artichokes any day!

I had a bunch of leftovers sitting around and decided this time I would blend them together for a truly unique artichoke stuffing. Hubby was at a church function so it was just me at home so I used the ingredients he disliked; capers, feta and goat cheese.

Ingredients
1 large artichoke, cooked with choke removed
1 package Olive Garden croutons (the size that comes with the take out salad)
1 ounce feta cheese
1 ounce goat cheese
1 teaspoon capers
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

For nutrition information, click the magic button 

Directions
Cut the stem off the artichoke and discard any of the little leaves. Cut the top off by about a half inch and using kitchen shears, snip the pointy edges of the leaves off. Steam the artichoke in microwave until a fork goes into the bottom with ease.

Preheat the oven to 350.

After the artichoke cools a bit, open the leaves and scoop out the choke leaving a nice bowl to place the stuffing.

To mix the stuffing, crush the croutons into small chunks but do not turn it to powder. Mix in the feta, goat cheese and capers. Blend in the lemon juice. Stuff this mix into the center of the artichoke and drizzle the stuffing with the melted butter. Place into a small baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. 

By not grinding the croutons into powder, the breading is softer and comes out in chunks rather then one big mush pile. The capers added some zing to the center while the cheese gave it a unique texture and flavor. This goes to show that you can stuff a choke with just about anything. You can substitute cheddar or jack for the feta and goat cheese and also add mushroom or other chopped veggies. The most important ingredient is the one you love most. This way you can never go wrong!!