Crack Berry Salad

Can't.  Stop.  Eating.  This.

About a month ago I bought this bag of wheat berries, just grabbed 'em, no reason, didn't know what I'd make with them, just seemed like a good idea at the time.  They sat in my pantry for far too long, teasing me from their dark shelf, so I took the first step and soaked these babies in water over night, then cooked 'em in chicken broth and let them sit in my fridge for a day, still totally bewildered as to what to create.  I gave Henry a bite before cooling them off and he said, "They're not very good, right Mamma?"  Right, Henry. 

Until I added...

• Organic dried cranberries
• Chopped walnuts
• Diced red onion
• Chopped parsley
• Fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Then my husband took a bite and said, "This is like crack."

Mix and eat cold, (don't smoke it)

Super duper good.  Henry still didn't care to try it, but the numerous amount of people who traipse through our house will be fighting over the leftovers all day tomorrow.  New.  Fave.  Dish.   

Artichoke Pasta Alternative

I love a nice, steamed artichoke, luuuuuurv, in fact.  But after I'm into artichoke season for a while, I start to wonder, "What else can I do with this thing?"  Well, I was talking with my new, fabulous Health Counseling client, (yup, launched my new business:  One Healthy Mother, more on that soon), about a large portion of her life she spent living in Italy, (hence, the fabulous!), and truth be told, we were going over some no-no foods for her initial health goals, and with a sniffle she began revealing different Italian dishes she'll miss dreadfully.  (She ADORES a good, fresh Italian pasta dish, who doesn't!?)  And she told me about this sauce they just throw together in Italy on any given day during artichoke season.  I MUST go there!
(drill seargent-esque)
Me:  HOW DO WE LIKE OUR RECIPES?
You:  SIMPLE!
Me:  WHEN DO WE LIKE THEM SIMPLE?
You:  ALWAYS!
This is so simple, fresh, and delicious that I must share it with you.  My client tells me to just scrape the meat from the leaves of a steamed artichoke:

Although, full disclosure, because I'm always honest with you people, aren't' I?  If you have an extra pair of hands around the kitchen, or a teenager you can bribe to do this, scraping the meat off the artichoke leaves is a wee bit time-consuming.  Not my favorite thing to do, and I could have easily had two more full artichokes for this dish, IF I had the where with all to continue scraping, yes:  Each.  Individual.  Leaf.  Oy.

M'fingers got tired...

Scrap all you can, and also chop up the hearts:

Pile 'O scraped leaves

 Sautée some garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan on medium heat, add the artichoke scrapings, then mix in the pasta of your choice.  Mine is quinoa pasta.  Sprinkle of cheese and TA-DA!  A yummy, fresh, artichoke-infused pasta dish.  lovely.  Henry ate it very, very fast.

Do y'all have any other favorite artichoke recipes to share?  Please send them 

in or put them in the comment section.  Thank you, and as always, enjoy!