Realizations Inc

My friend Beverly served a version of these as a brunch appetizer and the equivalent of four cans of artichoke hearts disappeared in a heartbeat! There are a couple of different ways to prepare these. Either way they are delicious. Adjust other ingredients as needed for number of artichoke hearts.

Ingredients

• 2 cans (or more :)) artichoke hearts packed in water. Drain well. Place drained artichokes on paper towels and let drain for several hours, overnight if possible. Pat dry so flour will stick.
• 1 egg (or equivalent in egg beaters or egg whites) beaten
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ cup finely rolled bread crumbs
• 1 tsp Italian herbs (e.g., oregano, basil)
• ½ tsp red-pepper flakes (if you want a bit of “heat” to the taste)

Preparation

Roll each artichoke in herbed-flour mixture.

Dip in beaten egg.

Roll in bread crumbs.

Place on greased cookie sheet so there is a little space between each.

Drizzle with olive oil or spray with Pam or olive oil, if desired, to help with browning.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Bake for 10-15 minutes. Turn over. Bake another 10-5 minutes until artichokes begin to brown and coating is crisp.

Serve

Remove baked artichokes from oven.

Leave them on cookie sheet to serve or transfer to a platter.

May dip in fat-free Ranch Dressing or Marinara sauce, if desired.

Alternative

As an alternative (instead of using herbed-flour, egg, and crumbs), cut a strip of turkey bacon or vegetarian equivalent (e.g., Stripples) in half lengthwise.

Wrap ½ strip around each artichoke, secure with toothpick, and bake as above.