Baby Artichokes with Creamy Horseradish-Dill Dip

I was so excited to work with baby artichokes for this recipe because I never have before. Baby artichokes, I discovered, are not a separate variety from their larger kin, just the fruit from the bottom of the plant, which stay naturally smaller. What's most delightful about these cute mini 'chokes, however, is that the entire thing is edible, so they're much easier to prepare than the big version!

For this appetizer, combine 4 cups water and one tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a large pot. Save the other half of the lemon you squeezed (you'll see why in a minute!) Working with one artichoke at a time, peel back the outer leaves to reach the lighter green ones underneath. Trim off about the top inch of the artichoke, and trim the stem to about one inch. Cut in half and rub the halves against your cut lemon so that they don't discolor. Place in the lemon-water mixture. Repeat with nine more baby artichokes (ten total). Bring the water to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and steam for twelve minutes.

Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup plain soy yogurt (such as Whole Soy) and a 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese. Tofutti makes a great one called Better than Cream Cheese that you would swear up and down was the real thing if you hadn't read the ingredient label first. It's vegan, has no cholesterol, and is non-hydrogenated. Don't you love that being vegan naturally makes you healthier? Check it out at: www.tofutti.com

Add one tablespoon prepared horseradish, 1/2 teaspoon dried dill, one and a half teaspoons lemon juice, a dash of salt and a dash of pepper to the yogurt mixture.

The yield for the recipe is four appetizer portions (5 artichoke halves, and 2 tablespoons of the dip; 110 calories per serving)

Cost:
lemon $0.79
baby artichokes $2.99
plain soy yogurt $1.00
horseradish $2.00