Steamed Artichokes

4          large globe artichokes

Nutritional information per artichoke:
Calories 76 (2% from fat) • carb. 17g • pro. 5g • fat 0g
• sat. fat 0g • chol. 0mg • sod. 152mg
calc. 71mg • fiber 9g

1.
Trim artichokes to fit the steamer by first cutting off the stems so the artichokes  can sit upright on the tray. Then trim 1 or 2 inches off the top of the artichoke so the lid can be secured. Remove rough outer leaves and snip any remaining sharp tips with scissors. 

2.
Once all the artichokes are trimmed, put them on the tray inside the steamer. Secure lid.     Select Vegetable, adjust timer to 40 minutes and press Start. Once time expires, test one        artichoke leaf to confirm it is tender. For extra-large artichokes, an extra 5 minutes might be    necessary.

3. 
Serve artichokes immediately with melted butter or the following dips: Bagna Cauda and Creamy Herb Mayo. Once all leaves have been removed, scrape the fuzzy choke and discard to eat the heart.