Spinach-Artichoke Dip

 
This is by far the best vegan spinach-artichoke EVER. 

Ever.

I made it for a Super Bowl party and it was a hit!  And it's totally vegan!  No one would have known, except I did put a label on it that drew attention to that fact that it was dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, vegan.  I served it with cucumber slices to be super healthy, but I also ate it with some corn chips that someone else brought, and it was just as good!

I got it from this website, paleo spirit, and I plan to make it again and again, it is so good.  SO GOOD!  I keep repeating myself because I just don't know how else to explain how good it is.

Here is the recipe, copy and pasted from paleospirit.com, original post by the author Lea.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

• 2, 10 ounce boxes frozen, chopped spinach
• 2, 14 ounce cans or jars of artichoke hearts (I used brined)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (adjust to taste and depending on how salty the artichoke hearts are)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups (approximate) cashew cream

Instructions

1. Defrost the spinach and squeeze out the excess water. Set aside.
2. Drain and roughly chop the artichokes.
3. Sauté the onions in the olive oil until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Stir in the chopped artichokes, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne and heat through.
5. Add in the spinach and lemon juice and stir until heated through.
6. Stir in the cashew cream.

How to Make Raw Cashew Cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews (whole cashews, not pieces)
• fresh, filtered water

Instructions

1. Rinse the cashews well, place in a bowl with enough water to cover them by about an inch. Cover the bowl and soak the cashews for a MINIMUM of two hours but preferably overnight.
2. Drain the cashews, rinse under cold water and place into a food processor or high-speed blender with one cup of fresh, filtered water.
3. Process on high for several minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides, until you have very creamy texture. (It may take some time.)

Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups raw cashew cream.
For a thicker consistency, more akin to ricotta cheese, I suggest using half a cup of water and adding more if needed depending on your desired result.



This dairy-free spinach-artichoke dip is best served warm. We enjoyed it with slices of cucumbers and red bell peppers because they were good for scooping. It would also be great with some grain-free crackers and/or different veggies.