I’m lazy in the kitchen.

I like to assemble, not cook.

That typically means salads. But sometimes, a raw salad is as appealing as a McDonald’s cheeseburger.

If I’m after something warm, soup is the obvious choice, but that takes time, which, like most people, is pretty limited.

The solution is a warmed vegetable salad. In this case, a green bean and artichoke salad.

I’m a huge fan of green beans, as they rarely cause digestive distress like cruciferous vegetables can. In practical terms, that means no bloating. I prefer French green beans over string beans as they look prettier and taste a little more complex…and who doesn’t love the sound of a French accent saying haricot vert?

Artichokes and arugula help with liver detoxification by stimulating the bile flow. Bile is needed to emulsify fats and take out fat-soluble toxins that are resident in our fat stores.

If I was writing for a health magazine, they would call this the fat burning and anti-bloating salad, but I’m not, so I don’t need to hype-up the vegetables. Enjoy your vegetables because they taste and look good and you’ll feel virtuous eating them!