I am not gluten free, but my roommate is and I am the sort of person who is happiest when I can feed people who appreciate good food.

In the past year I have relearned how to cook many of my favorite meals in a gluten free way.

When my children asked me the other night to make them stuffed artichokes, a favorite with them—it may be genetic as it has always been one of my favorite foods—I thought to myself that there must be a way to create this delicacy without using breadcrumbs.

There is and I’m here to tell you how.

Ingredients

• 5 or 6 handfulls of nuts. (I used a combination of pecans and walnuts but any type could be substituted.)
• 1/2 cup of oatmeal
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 1 tbs ground Maca
• 1 tbs ground garlic
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 1 tsp course salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Preparation

Prepare the artichoke by chopping off the very tips of the choke—save them for making stock later. Cut the stem so that the bottom of the artichoke is flat and can sit upright in a soup pot easily. Personally, I believe that the stems are one of the tastiest parts of the artichoke so I cook them right along with the rest, but if that’s not your thing they could easily be added to the stock bag as well.

Be sure to rinse the artichoke under cold water spreading and opening the leaves to wash out any remaining sand.

The creation of this stuffing could not be any easier.

Throw all of the above ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are ground. I like having a bit of texture so I don’t grind to an incredibly fine powder, but the finer the grind, the easier it will be to stuff the leaves.

That’s it for the stuffing.

Apply heat.

Place the artichokes in a big bowl and spoon the stuffing into each of the leaves starting with the most inner leaves and working your way outwards.  (If you begin on the outside leaves the pressure makes it much harder to find open spaces as you work your way in.) Any stuffing the spills out into the bowl gets piled on the top at the end.

Place the artichokes in a soup pot and add water until the water is about halfway up the bottom most leaves. Cover and simmer—the cook process will be a combination of simmering and steaming.

Keep an eye on the water level so the bottom of the chokes don’t burn. The cook time will vary depending on the size of the artichoke so after about 30 minutes start checking on the leaves. Dinner is served when the leaves pull out easily.

Eat.

The brilliance of this meal is that the stuffing provides plenty of protein and healthy fats, which are just lacking in a bread stuffing.  Serve it as a side dish or make a full meal out of it—I like to eat it along with an avocado or kale chips—either way your tastebuds and belly will thank you.

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Editor: Bryonie Wise