I have always loved taking recipes and putting my own 'healthy' spin on them. Whether it's decreasing the saturated fat, adding extra greens or fiber, or making them plant-based, I love the challenge of transforming traditional (and usually not so healthy) recipes with my own healthy spin. With the Super Bowl just a few days away, I wanted to come up with a delicious and fun recipe for the game. Alas, this vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip was born.
A lot of people see 'spinach' and 'artichoke' on menus and assume Spinach and Artichoke dip is healthy. Unfortunately, it is a dip typically full of saturated fat and heavy cheese and cream with a small amount of greens. My version is still rich, creamy and full of flavor, but it has no saturated fat and tons of veggies! I personally love dipping Siete Tortilla chips into this dip, but fresh veggies, like carrots, cucumber or red peppers, or toasted pita would also be delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients *Makes about 5 servings
1/4 cup soaked and drained raw cashews (Soak in water anywhere from 2-12 hours)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup raw cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups raw spinach
1 cup raw artichoke hearts, chopped into bite size pieces
Salt + Pepper to taste
Red Pepper Flakes + Fresh Parsley for topping (optional)
Directions
Heat oven to 350 F.
Saute raw cauliflower in a skillet over medium heat with ~2 tsp of olive oil. Saute for approximately 10-12 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Set aside.
Combine your soaked and drained cashews with the apple cider vinegar, garlic, nutritional yeast, almond milk and cooked cauliflower. Place in a blender and blend until smooth.
Saute artichokes and spinach in a skillet over medium heat with ~1 tsp of olive oil. Saute until the spinach is completely cooked down (about 3-4 minutes).
Combine your blended cauliflower/cashew mixture with the artichokes and spinach and stir until evenly incorporated.
Place the dip into the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
Serve warm with chips or crudite.
