Artichokes and Soy Sauce-Vegenaise Dip: Recipe for a side dish

Artichokes and Soy Sauce-Vegenaise Dip.

Artichokes make other food in a meal taste sweet. You can eat the 'heart' and the little bit of the heart that comes off each leaf. One of my all-time favorites! I like to pair them with salmon, rice, and add one or two to soup to flavor the water.

Steam artichokes for 35-50 minutes. The total steaming/boiling depends on their size, of course. Poke a fork in the upper stem where it attaches to the leaves and if it slides in easily, if it does they are probably done cooking. You can steam the artichokes on a steam rack in your 5-quart pan, or boil them directly in the water. Either way you will have water that you can reuse for soup stock or add to your dogs' kibble, as a nutritious supplement to their usual food. Which, because I have limited freezer space, is my best option.

Soy-Vegenaise Dip/Sauce, AKA: "Goop"

I grew up having a soy sauce-mayonnaise mixture to dip broccoli, artichokes, and cauliflower in. We all called it"goop". I still remember my grandpa saying to "please pass the goop," for his broccoli. I changed this recipe up a bit, updating it with Vegenaise (a non-egg alternative to mayo)
1/4 cup Vegenaise
1-2 TBS soy sauce or Tamari
Mix well ad serve in a small bowl to dip broccoli, cauliflower, or artichokes in.