Steamed artichokes with balsamic mayo dipping sauce

Approx. 115 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I bought artichokes at the market this weekend and decided to steam them and serve with just a simple dipping sauce. When I eat artichokes, I only dip every second or third leaf (otherwise all I taste is sauce) so this recipe provided me enough sauce for both artichokes. If you dip every leaf (or load it with sauce) you will need to increase the recipe. I served this with a nice piece of grilled steak (not included in the calories).

One note of caution: Be sure to check the water level in the pot from time to time. I didn't check it until the house stunk like burned vinegar and realized that all the water escaped as steam. Needless to say, I got a good workout scrubbing the bottom of that pot!

Ingredients

• 2 artichokes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbs mayonaise (I used fat free)
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• water

Directions

1. Clean artichokes and trim off any thorns.
2. Add water, red wine vinegar, bay leaf, and garlic to the bottom of a large pot and cover with a steamer basket.
3. Place artichokes in the steamer basket and cover the pot with a lid.
4. Steam for approx. 30 minutes or until leaves easily pull off the artichoke.

To make sauce:

1. Mix mayonaise and balsamic vinegar.
2. Remove garlic from the steamer pot and smash. Add to the sauce and mix well.