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This month's veggie: Artichokes

I have been putting this off, again and again. Searching for something that I could get my 6-year-old Chloe to eat that had artichokes in it. 

At first, a pasta dish seemed like the clear winner—the road more often travelled. My idea: Toss it in some pasta with some tomatoes, maybe a lemon butter sauce, some fresh herbs, serve. 

What I failed to realize was that I was trying to reach a children's audience. That might be a great dish for my wife and me, but with Chloe it would mean another fight that ends in pasta with just butter for her. 

My next idea was artichoke dip, she ate it, but under protest, and it certainly was not a meal that I would call healthy. 

So, I tried adding it into a salad—grilled them, made some croutons, a nice dressing. It was great, and again Kim and I enjoyed it, but Chloe ate lettuce, cucumbers, ranch, and of course some bacon thrown in there for protein.  

I was fooled again. 

Needless to say, I tried again and again, waking up at night with ideas for recipes that could be healthy and approachable for children. The one thing I had in my back pocket was pizza. I knew Chloe would at least taste it; I just hoped she would like it.

It was delicious, and Chloe was eating it, that is, until she found an artichoke laying in her slice. I had tried to cover them with cheese and hide them in a veil of thin pizza crust, but the gig was up, she found the artichoke, her nose turned up. So, I confess, I can't win them all. While this artichoke was not a major success with Chloe, it was the best of the failures. I imagine many children will love it.

Here is my delicious and sneaky recipe:

Artichoke Pizza

The Crust

This will make dough for three large pizzas, we often make two, then freeze the remaining dough for later, or just bake it as any other bread for later dining.

  • 2 Cups — Water (lukewarm)
  • 1 ½ Tbsp.  — Instant Yeast
  • ½ Tbsp.  — Honey
  • 1 Tbsp. — Salt
  • 1 1/2 Tsp. — Dried Oregano Leaf
  • 8 Oz. — Olive Oil (good quality brand)
  • 2 Tsp. — Roasted Garlic (finely minced)
  • 26 Oz. — Hi-gluten Flour
  • 4 Oz. — Fine Corn Meal (Optional; I like the bite it gives.)

To the water, add the yeast and honey. Allow to sit while yeast activates. The mix should froth and smell like beer. Add to the bowl of a mixer; add the salt, oil, garlic and oregano (at this point, feel free to add other herbs, or tomatoes, cheese, even meat), and mix to bring together. 

With mixer on low speed, add the flour in very slowly. The mix, when all flour is added, should just stay together, just pull away from bowl. The more sloppy and wet the bread, generally the more holes it will have. If you want denser bread, add a little more flour.



The Toppings
(for one pizza)

  • 1 Artichoke (cleaned, chopped)
  • 8 Oz. Prosciutto (thinly sliced)
  • Mozzarella cheese (Fresh preferred)
  • Roasted Garlic Oil — (Add garlic cloves coated in olive oil to an oven-safe pan, roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes) 

Other ideas: We added some grilled chicken breast as well; and spinach would also be a nice addition.

Bake the Pizza

  • Spread olive oil onto the crust of the pizza, top with remaining ingredients. 
  • Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

We asked Shane Henderson, Executive Chef for Ben E. Keith Foods, to share his special month-by-month guide to introducing new nutrient-rich veggies into kids’ diets. Shane knows all about trying to please his own picky eater, his 6-year-old daughter Chloe, and has crafted a calendar complete with kid-friendly recipes to help parents win more mealtime battles. Check back with FITArkansas.com for Shane’s monthly installments!