Happy National Artichoke Hearts Day! I am incredibly excited about this peculiar and probably made-up-for-no-reason holiday. I absolutely LOVE artichokes. I never get sick of them.
And for that reason I had a lot of trouble deciding what to post for today’s recipe because every artichoke heart idea I could think of sounded incredible. So I decided I’d go with something that everyone loves, even those who don’t share my artichoke obsession.
Spinach & Artichoke Dip. A perfect candidate to turn into a (sort of) healthy vegan option.
And a pretty easy one for me – one of the first recipes I made vegan was a spinach & artichoke cream cheese. So I’ve just taken that recipe, made it a little thicker and cheesier, and we have spinach and artichoke dip!
serves 8
8 oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (or canned in water)
8 oz package frozen spinach, thawed
3/4 C vegan cream cheese
1/2 C vegan mozzarella cheese (I like Daiya because it melts really well in this)
1 T Earth Balance
1 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t cayenne pepper
pinch salt & pepper
1 T vegan parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Drain artichoke hearts and spinach very well. You do not want any unnecessary liquid in your dip!
Saute shallots in Earth Balance until soft, about 3 minutes. Then add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Let cool.
Once cool, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend till you like it – I like to leave just a few chunks of artichoke in there. Sprinkle parmesan or some extra mozzarella cheese on top. Spread into a small baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until warmed through and golden brown on top.
Oh. my. gosh.
Dig in! Serve with crackers, veggies, or spread on toast. Mmmm. Or just eat with a spoon 🙂
Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 107; Calories from Fat: 62; Total Fat: 6.8g; Saturated Fat: 2.9g; Cholesterol: 4mg; Sodium: 209mg; Total Carbohydrates: 6.8g; Dietary Fiber: 2.6g; Protein: 5.1g
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