---
title: Baby Artichokes Fried in Sesame Oil
date: 2011-01-07T22:58:02Z
modified: 2011-01-07T22:58:02Z
permalink: "https://elizabethyarnell.com/baby-artichokes-fried-in-sesame-oil/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 1703
categories:
  - Allergen-Free Recipes
  - Recipes
  - Recommended Products
tags:
  - baby artichoke recipe
  - sesame seeds
  - thyme
author: Elizabeth
---

As lovely as it is to take a family vacation in a beautiful and restful spot, and as grateful as I feel for the opportunity to do just that, eating restaurant food day-in and day-out was taking its toll on all of us. Even my husband, whose iron gut is legendarily impervious to long-term assaults of the high sodium, saturated fats, and heavy breading like that served in standard and even high-end restaurant fare, remarked how good it felt to be home and eating our own food.

It’s funny to me because I forget how much lighter our household eats than many others; it just feels normal. Between [Glorious One-Pot Meals](http://www.gloriouspotmeal.com "Glorious One-Pot Meals"), grilling, and the various whole-food based ingredients I whip together for us to enjoy nightly, we skip a lot of that heaviness of typical American food without even missing it.

[Rice pasta](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2010/09/stuffed-chicken-enchilada-shells/ "rice pasta shell recipe"), Rudi’s Organic Bakery spelt bread and tortillas, [cheddar cheese made from goat milk](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2010/04/goat-cheese-good-for-lactose-intolerance/ "goat cheddar cheese"), [coconut oil](http://www.effortlesseating.com/2009/03/sweet-potato-glorious-one-pot-meal-recipe/ "coconut oil"), [rice-and-potato pizza crust](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2010/12/gluten-free-frozen-pizza-crust-to-recommend/ "gluten-free pizza crust"), [high-fructose-corn-syrup-free chocolate syrup](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2007/09/chocolate-syrup-perfection/ "chocolate syrup no high fructose corn syrup"), [coconut milk](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2008/01/the-dairy-deception/ "coconut milk") (non-dairy) ice cream bars, sunflower seed butter, [Good Belly](http://www.effortlesseating.com/2009/02/good-belly-makes-for-a-good-belly/ "Good Belly probiotic drink")… These may seem like an unusual shopping list, but it contains some items in my fridge and pantry that form the staples of our diet.

[![baby artichokes fried in sesame oil with thyme and sesame seeds](http://elizabethyarnell.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/BabyArtichokesSesameOilThyme-300x239.jpg "recipe baby artichokes in sesame oil")

](http://elizabethyarnell.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/BabyArtichokesSesameOilThyme.jpg)Baby artichokes fried in sesame oil with shallots and thymeNot to mention the fresh produce I select, which may run the gamut from organic bananas, pears, and apples, to kiwis, Swiss chard, crimini mushrooms, and shallots.

This week a container of fresh baby artichokes caught my fancy. While I reserved some to put into a GOPM later, the rest I fried up in a mixture of sesame and safflower oils together with a chopped shallot. When the artichokes were nicely crisped, I tossed them with sea salt, freshly toasted sesame seeds, and thyme dug out from underneath the snow in my garden.

Yes, it’s a fried vegetable, but it’s light-years lighter than the corn-on-the-cob floating in 3″ of butter featured on the buffet one night, or the equally buttery French-cut green beans. Even the “grilled fish” had been painted with a buttery sauce. Did it taste good? Absolutely. The job of a good restaurant is to make food taste good, even if that involves lots of fat, salt, sugar, and who knows what else.

Did I feel good eating that way for a week? Not so much.

Yum. Baby artichokes are such a treat! In the immortal words of Judy Garland: There’s no place like home!