Like a lot of people, I’ve become more conscious of my carb intake. Not for any single particular reason, but instead for several…
According to my colleague, Margaret Cantwell, eating a low-carb paleo diet helps you lose more weight than counting calories. Margaret swears it’s the reason she lost quite a bit of weight, ultimately turning her health around in the process.
She also pointed out that lowering carbs and increasing fat intake leads to the conversion of fat already in your body into ketones… molecules that can be used by cells throughout your body, especially your brain, as an alternative ‘fuel’ source to glucose. That’s much better for your body — and your brain.
Another colleague, Jenny Smiechowski, recently reported on a study where researchers from the University of Florida found that a low-carb, high-fat diet reduced the growth rate of brain tumors by 50 percent.
So you see where I’m coming from?
Now, I’m not ready and not sure I’ll ever give up carbs completely, but eating less of them is something I can certainly do. Especially when it comes down to something as simple as recipe that includes bread crumbs…
A friend told me about substituting cauliflower for bread crumbs in her stuffed artichoke recipe, and at first I thought she was crazy. Until I found that ground cauliflower has a texture similar to bread crumbs — and even toasts up golden brown when cooked.
Plus, the nutrition in a head of cauliflower is really up there… vitamin C, B6, magnesium, potassium, and commendable amounts of calcium, iron and protein.
The recipe below makes enough cauliflower stuffing for one artichoke. To make several just increase accordingly.
Crockpot Cauliflower-stuffed Artichoke
- ¼ head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 large artichoke
- To prepare stuffing add roughly chopped cauliflower to your food processor to achieve a finely chopped mixture similar to bread crumbs. Then add the shallot and garlic and pulse to chop and mix them in. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To prepare your artichoke, first slice off the stem at the bottom to give it a flat bottom so it sits well. Trim the points off the leaves using kitchen scissors. Slice off the top one inch of the artichoke. Begin pulling the leaves apart just enough to create pockets for stuffing to go. Pull out the light-colored leaves at the center to expose the fuzzy choke. Scoop out the choke with a melon baller and discard.
- Begin stuffing your artichoke starting at the center you have hollowed out. It should hold about ½ cup. Then work your way through the other leaves using a small spoon and stuffing as much mixture as will fit.
- Place your artichoke(s) in your slow cooker and add about an inch of water to the bottom. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the artichokes. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, 5-6 hours on low. It’s done when leaves are tender.
- Transfer your artichoke(s) to a pan and place them under the broiler just for a minute or two to brown your stuffing. Enjoy!
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