grilled artichoke with vegan lemon aioli sauce

i've never been a fan of artichokes until last year and for that reason, i've never attempted to cook the vegetable unless it came from a can.  artichokes can be intimidating to work with because of the way they look.

for dinner, i decided to grill up some artichokes. i was inspired by luna park restaurant in the city.  their grilled artichokes were the bomb!


artichoke marinade ingredients:

*4-6 artichokes
* garlic salt
* garlic powder
*red pepper flakes
*black pepper
* 1/4 cup-1/2 cup white vinegar
*1/2 cup-1cup soy sauce
*1/4 cup olive oil

vegan lemon ailoli sauce
*1 cup of veganiaise mayonnaise
* 3 tsp lemon juice
* 1tsp olive oil
* 4-5 minced garlic cloves
* salt and pepper to taste
** mix all ingredients to make sauce**

directions:
1) steam artichokes for 30-45 minutes.   how to prepare an artichoke:
http://iowagirleats.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/how-to-prepare-a-fresh-artichoke/
2)  while steaming the artichokes, prepare marinade in a shallow dish.
3) after artichokes are steamed, cut them in half and marinate artichokes for 2-3 hours.

4)  heat grill on medium high.  grill artichokes cut side up for ten minutes then flip artichokes over and grill for five minutes.


my favorite part... peel leaves off and dip into aioli sauce and scrape of the meat with your teeth!  enjoy!

polenta spinach bruchetta

whenever i'm short on time, my go to meals are italian. why?  quick and easy.  for dinner tonight, i decided to create a dish using some pre-made polenta that i bought from trader joe's.  i baked the polenta, topped it off with a simple pomodoro sauce, vegan mozzarella, and sauteed spinach.  it turned out pretty tasty.

ingredients-
9-18 oz of store bought polenta or you can easily make your own
12 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/4 diced onions
3-4 cloves of minced garlic
handful of spinach
1/4-1/2 cup of shredded vegan mozzarella
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
olive oil
cooking spray

directions-
1) pre-heat oven to 400
2) in a medium pot, heat 2tbs of olive oil on medium low heat.  when the olive oil is hot, add onions and cook until they are translucent.  stir in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
3)  add the can of diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  cover and simmer on low.
4)  in a separate pan, heat 1tsp of olive oil.  add spinach when oil is ready.  add red pepper and cook until spinach is wilted.  set aside.
5) slice polenta into 1/4 inch and place on a baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  place in the oven and bake for about 10- 15 minutes.
6)  take the polenta slices out of the oven and add a 1/2 tsp of the pomodoro sauce on top of the sliced polentas.  next, add a pinch of shredded mozzarella and spinach on top of the pomodoro sauce.  lastly, garnish each of them with the remaining shredded mozzarella. 
7) change tempreture to broil setting, and broil polenta bruchettas for 2 minutes. 
** with the remainder of the sauce you can make more polenta spinach bruchettas or have a side of pasta with the bruchettas.**