I should probably start sharing healthier recipes with you guys, like salad bowls, or other things of that nature. I can’t help myself though, I love finding vegan options for the foods I love. Initially when I transitioned to vegan, I was a little scared because I wasn’t sure I could help most of the people I coach on a regular basis. Most of the people I’m in contact with are no where near vegan. I’m not really scared of that anymore, I figure if I can make something that’s just as tasty as it’s not vegan counterpart, then maybe it will encourage some one to eat just a little bit less cheese. There are so many studies that show health benefits to removing animal products from your diet, how could I not want to encourage that?

I wait tables at Applebees part time. They have such yummy, not vegan friendly, happy hour appetizers. I used to always get their spinach and artichoke dip but it’s definitely not vegan. A few weeks ago I decided to try to make my own. I found a recipe online that seemed way too complicated and decided to make it simpler. Since then I’ve made spinach dip two more times. I’m definitely hooked.

I decided to modify my nacho cheese sauce as the cheese sauce that goes in with the spinach. I added spinach, chopped onions, garlic, and artichokes to the recipe and whoomp, there it is! I’m glad that the sauce has less calories than real cheese. Maybe next time instead of using chips or bread to dip in the sauce I’ll use some celery for a healthier option. Maybe, no promises though because this girl loves her tortilla chips.

I hope you’ll try out this recipe and let me know how it compares to your happy hour dip!

Print Recipe

Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup Walla Walla Sweet Onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves Garlic, minced Add more or less garlic, depending on how much you love it.
• 12 oz Frozen Chopped Spinach Thaw ahead of time to make cook time faster.
• 2 6 oz jars Artichoke Hearts, chopped up Drain and rinse the artichokes.

Cream Sauce

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1/4 cup Raw Cashews
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 3 tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tbsp Sesame Tahini

Servings Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup Walla Walla Sweet Onion, chopped 1-2 cloves Garlic, minced Add more or less garlic, depending on how much you love it. 12 oz Frozen Chopped Spinach Thaw ahead of time to make cook time faster. 2 6 oz jars Artichoke Hearts, chopped up Drain and rinse the artichokes. Cream Sauce 2 cups water 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast 1/4 cup Raw Cashews 1 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Onion Powder 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder 3 tbsp Cornstarch 1 tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tbsp Sesame Tahini

Instructions

1. Saute the chopped onions in the olive oil until they become translucent.
2. While the onions are cooking, combine all the cream sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until it becomes smooth.
3. Transfer cream sauce mixture to a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat. Using a whisk, stir constantly until the sauce thickens to the consistency of a thick yogurt.
4. Add the minced garlic to the onions and cook for a couple minutes longer. Then add in the spinach and artichokes till they are all warm. Drain off excess water if there is any.
5. Once the cream sauce is thickened, add it to the spinach mixture and stir it all up until it's well combined.

Recipe Notes

You could throw your spinach dip in a baking dish and top it with Daiya Mozzarella cheese. Bake it at 350 degrees until the cheese is melty.

Also, trying using the dip as a sandwich spread. #bombdotcom