It all began with a strange can of food given to me by my brother……hmmm, what to do with it? It can easily be transformed into a healthy and tasty treat with a few ingredients.
What is hearts of palm?
“What in the world is Hearts of Palm?” That’s exactly what I was thinking when I went to visit one of my brothers and he sent me home with some parting food gifts. Hearts of Palm actually does come from palm trees, but don’t worry, the harvesting process does not harm the entire plant. The white cylinder shaped palm hearts come from the tender, immature, growing top of the crown part of the tree.(1)
Intrigued, but a little scared of what to do with this foreign vegetable, I did what I have always seen on those food competition programs. You know the ones I’m talking about, they open a big basket and discover an ingredient inside they have never heard of or used before. I tasted it, straight out of the can.
The taste was very similar to an artichoke, but the texture was much more tender. Then I was pleased to see the nutritional facts: Zero fat! Low carb! …and it has protein and lots of potassium. Sounds like a nutritious lunch or dinner to me! A quick look through my pantry, and I came up with this three ingredient delicious and easy to make recipe that smells like a pizza cooking in your oven!
How to cook heart of palm
Let’s get started!
Preheat oven to 400℉ / 205℃ and prepare a sheet pan by lining with foil (for easy clean-up) or lightly spraying with cooking spray.
When coating your hearts of palm in the olive oil, take caution that they can be very fragile, so be careful during this step.
Next, place the coated hearts of palm on the prepared baked sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with the Italian Medley seasoning. Be sure to roll them over and coat both sides.
Roast in oven until heated through, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool two minutes and serve immediately.
What else can you use Hearts of Palm in? Here are some optional serving suggestions:
with a side of marinara
chop and add in a salad or soup
dice and add in some cooked quinoa
Where can you find hearts of palm? You can usually find either a can or glass jar of hearts of palm in the canned vegetable section of your local grocery store and sometimes in the international isle. If you would rather purchase on Amazon, find it HERE. (Discloser: I may receive Amazon affiliate commission at no extra cost to you if a purchase is made through link.)