At our sister site Slashfood, we often spotlight gorgeous creations prepared by ourselves and legions of other food bloggers under the category of "food porn" -- a voyeuristic look at the culinary arts.

It didn't escape my attention then, when one of my favorite fellow foodies Béa at La Tartine Gourmande prepared this beautiful pink dish of Quinoa Beet Verrine, designed to help raise breast cancer awareness. She has been gracious enough to allow me to repost it here, and I'm hoping that it inspires you (like it has me) to help spread the word.

On that note, if any of you are gastronomically-inclined and would like to prepare your own "pink food" creation -- anything from pink cream cheese on a bagel to an entire fuchsia dinner -- post it on your blog and send us the link. We will spotlight the entries in a future post in hopes of continuing to raise awareness of breast cancer.

I am well aware that the artichoke is a cancer prevention food -- rich in cancer-fighting nutrients like vitamin C, folate, and magnesium. That it is virtually fat-free and offers plenty of fiber. And that the artichoke leaves contain cynarin, a compound proving to be beneficial for liver health, and silymarin, a compound with powerful anitoxidant properties.

But the artichoke intimidates me with its pointy-tipped leaves and fuzzy middle. It has always been, in my mind, a strange and exotic multi-layered green orb. While I have a fondness for artichoke, I have given into my fears and purchased the trusted marinated artichoke hearts prepared by somebody else and sold at the grocers for any artichoke in my diet.

Sarah J. Gim, of our sister blog Slashfood, has taken the fear out of artichoke preparation. In fact, it is so simple I now feel profoundly silly about avoiding the artichoke in its most natural form. In Spring in season: roasted artichokes, Sarah explains step-by-step how to prepare and roast an artichoke. She calls it the slaying of the spiny dragon. If you have been secretly, or not so secretly, intimidated by a vegetable that has been revered since ancient times for its many wonderful properties, Sarah can show you how easy it is to prepare an artichoke properly and with confidence.