My friend Beverly served a version of these as a brunch appetizer and the equivalent of four cans of artichoke hearts disappeared in a heartbeat! There are a couple of different ways to prepare these. Either way they are delicious. Adjust other ingredients as needed for number of artichoke hearts.

Ingredients

• 2 cans (or more) artichoke hearts packed in water. Drain well. Place drained artichokes on paper towels and let drain for several hours, overnight if possible. Pat dry so flour will stick.
• ¼ cup egg whites, beaten
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ cup finely rolled bread crumbs
• 1 tsp Italian herbs (e.g., oregano, basil)
• ½ tsp red-pepper flakes (if you want a bit of “heat” to the taste)

Preparation

Roll each artichoke in herbed-flour mixture.

Dip in beaten egg.

Roll in bread crumbs.

Place on greased cookie sheet so there is a little space between each.

Drizzle with olive oil or spray with PAM® or olive oil, if desired, to help with browning.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Bake for 10-15 minutes. Turn over. Bake another 10-5 minutes until artichokes begin to brown and coating is crisp.

Serve

Remove baked artichokes from oven.

Leave them on cookie sheet to serve or transfer to a platter.

May dip in fat-free ranch dressing or marinara sauce, if desired.

Alternative

As an alternative (instead of using herbed-flour, egg, and crumbs), cut a strip of turkey bacon or vegetarian equivalent (e.g., Stripples) in half lengthwise.

Wrap ½ strip around each artichoke, secure with toothpick, and bake as above.