I follow a blog called The Crushing Cancer Kitchen, which is helmed by chef and holistic nutritionist, Dana McIntrye. Dana’s recipes are not only super good for you, they’re also incredibly creative and tasty – which—not surprisingly—is why I am a big fan of her site.
One of my favourite recipes as of late—Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip—came from The Crushing Cancer Kitchen. So I have decided to feature it this week so that you can enjoy it 🙂
Don’t let the “vegan” part turn you off, because this dip is one of the most delicious recipes I have come across in a long time. In fact I polished off the entire batch in 2 days… almost entirely by myself.
Surprisingly versatile, I initially served up this dip with fresh cut veggies, but enjoyed it just as much when I had it again for dinner spread on a piece of toasted spelt bread topped with organic cherry tomatoes. I then had it again for lunch the next day and dinner that same night, but I think you get the idea – clearly I’m obsessed.
This dip is easy to prepare and sure to please, making it the perfect appetizer for you next dinner party or potluck… Though I warn you, you won’t want to share 😉
Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
[list type=”4″]
- 1 cup cashews, soaked for 12+ hours, drained and rinsed ( I only soaked for an hour with hot water and they worked perfectly!)
- ½ c Cooked White Beans
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1-2 c Water
- 1 c Leek, sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced ( I followed the recipe the first time, but next time I would double the amount of garlic—but I LOVE garlic—so adjust according to your taste)
- 2 Thyme sprigs
- 1 can Artichoke hearts in water not oil, diced (3 hearts if using fresh)
- 1 lb (454g/1 big box) Fresh Spinach, steamed, squeezed out and chopped
- 4 Green Onions, sliced
- Sea(weed) Salt or sea salt
[/list]
Instructions
[list type=”4″]
- In a blender, purée the cashews, beans, nutritional yeast, 1cup of water and lemon juice until very smooth. Add more water if you need to.
- In a large pan, sauté the leeks, garlic and thyme in the coconut oil and a splash of water until the leeks have softened.
- Add the artichokes and continue to sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the cashew cream mixture and spinach, then mix well.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the green onions.
- Add more water to loosen it up and make it creamier if necessary.
- Adjust seasoning.
- Pour into a heat-proof dish and serve with raw veggies. Green peppers and broccoli go particularly well with this.
- Enjoy!
[/list]
Check out The Crushing Cancer Kitchen for more delicious recipes like this one! You’ll be glad you did.
xo
Nicole
Photo courtesy of The Crushing Cancer Kitchen
