Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

This delicious, low-calorie salad can easily accompany any meal and is packed with vitamin C. Perfect to serve at your next summer barbecue — try preparing the peppers on the grill for a smoky twist on flavor.

Ingredients

Salad

  • 8 whole artichokes, cooked (canned artichoke hearts can be used)
  • 3 red bell peppers
  • Lettuce leaves
  • 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup black olives, sliced

Dressing

  • 1 bell pepper (roasted), reserved from salad preparation
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup white wine or cider vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon crushed dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

Directions

Salad
Halve artichokes lengthwise; scoop out center petals and fuzzy centers. Remove outer leaves and reserve to garnish salad, or to use for snacks another time. Trim out hearts and slice thinly. Cover and set aside.

Place whole bell peppers under preheated broiler; broil under high heat until charred on all sides, turning frequently with tongs. Remove from oven; place in a paper bag for 15 minutes to steam skins. Trim off stems of peppers; remove seeds and ribs. Strip off skins; slice peppers into julienne strips. Reserve 1/4 of the bell pepper strips to prepare dressing.

To assemble salads, arrange lettuce leaves on 8 salad plates. Arrange sliced artichoke hearts, remaining bell pepper strips, red onion and olives on lettuce. Garnish with a couple of cooked artichoke leaves, if desired.

Dressing
Place reserved bell pepper strips, vinegars, garlic, basil and rosemary in blender or food processor. Cover and process until well blended and nearly smooth. Spoon dressing over salads.

Serves 8.

Nutritional Information
Serving size: 1/8 recipe. 110 calories, 10 calories from fat, 2 grams fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 200 milligrams sodium, 22 grams total carbohydrate, 5 grams protein, 70% vitamin A, 270% vitamin C, 8% calcium, 15% iron.

Diabetic Exchange
Fruit: 0; vegetables: 4; meat: 0; milk: 0; fat: 0; carbs: 0; other: 0.

Diabetic exchanges are calculated based on the American Diabetes Association Exchange system. Exchanges are rounded up or down equal to whole numbers.

Recipe courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

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For More Information
To learn more about Sharp's nutrition services or to find a Sharp-affiliated physician, search for San Diego doctors or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. To find general information about nutrition, read the Nutrition News archive.