National Artichoke Hearts Day 2021: 6 Delicious Ways To Enjoy The Healthy Vegetable

National Artichoke Hearts Day is here, which means it's the perfect time to celebrate and enjoy this healthy and time-tested vegetable.

Artichoke is quite a special vegetable. Originated in the Mediterranean region, it is the official state vegetable of California and is one of the oldest foods in the world, National Today said. In fact, even Romans and Greeks enjoyed them in the 8th century.

Artichokes are low in fat but high in fiber, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins. And it is good for improving heart and liver health, as well as lowering blood sugar, Healthline said. So artichokes aren't just delicious, they're also good for your health.

There are many ways for people to enjoy artichokes. So those who haven't tasted it yet can take this as an opportunity to give it a try, while others can choose to celebrate the day by trying out new ways to enjoy it.

Make pesto with artichokes

Pesto is already a delicious sauce, but you can make it healthier by adding artichokes. You can blend half a cup of marinated artichoke hearts with other pesto ingredients until they are smooth to make a healthy and delicious pesto sauce, Muscle and Fitness suggests.

Avocado-artichoke spread

If you're looking for something light, then why not try making this artichoke and avocado mash recipe? Just mash an avocado and a cup of chopped artichoke hearts, season it with salt and spread it over toast for a light and delicious snack.

Drink it

Drinking artichoke may sound quite strange but you can actually do it with Cynar. It's an Italian liqueur that contains 13 herbs and plants, with artichoke being its predominant ingredient, National Today said. In fact, the name of the liqueur itself is related to the name of the vegetable. The Latin name of artichoke is Cynara scolymus.

It has a variety of uses. It can be drunk as an aperitif with soda or mixed with a cocktail.

Make artichoke salsa

Just like pesto, salsa is one of those versatile sauces that you can use with various food items. On this day, mix it up by making artichoke salsa.

Together with tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic clove and salt, a cup of chopped artichoke hearts can add a new twist to your salsa recipe.

Make an omelet

Give a special twist to your omelet by adding artichokes. Whether you simply add artichoke hearts to the eggs or choose to also use other ingredients such as spinach and goat cheese, the artichoke hearts will certainly make for a delicious and healthy omelet.

Artichoke soup

A simple way to enjoy the vegetable is with an artichoke soup. You have to need a quart of chicken stock, two cups of artichoke hearts, salt and pepper to the prepare the soup for four to six people. Blend them together and you'll have a simple but surely delicious soup.