Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Things I don't like:
* being told my raise at work was approved but then it turns out it is being postponed
* a huge amount of tax dollars taken out of my check every two weeks
* being denied insurance coverage for IVF (invitro fertilization) because my wife and I aren't technically infertile - so instead we must pay thousands (upon more thousands) of dollars in order to have a child that we so dearly want
* it's below 40 degrees for about 6 months out of the year in Salt Lake City, UT
* i haven't been able to keep a can opener for longer than 6 months (if that!) - they keep breaking!
* DELICIOUS and addicting spinach and artichoke dip that I eat pounds of that makes me feel like poo afterwards

Things I do like:
* large glasses of wine at the end of the day
* being able to throw everything into my Blendtec blender, hit blend, and walk away knowing it's being taken care of
* being able to vent about my really crappy day with my wife
* fooling people into thinking a recipe is naughty, but it's really really not
* impromptu Google+ hangouts with my blogging mentor, Leslie Samuel

But really, one of my favorite things is to trick people about the foods their eating, especially when they're full of really healthy and off the wall foods. Story time!

Alright - about 7 years ago, I made a Coconut "Cream" Pie for my at-the-time-boyfriend's family. We ate dinner and I kept talking about how excited I was to dig into my pie for dessert. I talked it up a lot and couldn't wait to get into it (knowing that I was going to fool everyone SO bad with a hidden MAIN ingredient!). So dessert time came around. Everyone gobbled it up, especially Boyfriend's dad who just went on and on about how much he loved it. He's a meat and potatoes kinda guy. No health food at all. Just MAN food! So there he was talkin' it up, and I asked him if he tasted anything funny about it at all. He got real still and wide-eyed and then I broke it to him... Tofu! He ate a Coconut Tofu Pie and just about died when he found out. Of course, at that point, he tried to say he knew something was off about it.

Seriously, Love it.

This is another recipe that will fool everyone - even your macho guests watching Super Bowl in a couple of weeks. It's perfect football food, paired with crackers, tortilla chips, or veggies, and of course a beer! You won't miss any of the flavor that's in your traditional spinach and artichoke dip, and you'll say goodbye to at least half the calories as well. This is one dip that you aren't going to feel guilty about when the last touchdown is made and it's time to clean up the party.

Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip

print friendly version
adapted from The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook
serves: 8-10

Ingredients

1 small onion
4 garlic cloves
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (6-ounce) jar of quartered artichoke hearts
1 (12.3 ounce) package low-fat silken tofu
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Wrap the onion and garlic in aluminum foil. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft

3. Place the spinach in a clean dish towel. Squeeze and twist the dish towel to press out as much water as possible from the spinach.

4. Place the spinach, onions, garlic, and artichokes in a food processor or Blendtec and pulse until well chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and process until just slightly chunky or smooth - your preference.

5. Serve with freshly baked tortilla chips, crackers, or fresh-cut veggies.

 

Here's a quick behind the scenes picture that my 6 year old son actually shot after watching me photograph this dish for the blog. He asked if he could try, and this is what we ended up with. Kind of a fun perspective if you ask me.

Oh, and I mentioned my Blendtec up there among the things I love. Seriously, I love it. It's used on an almost daily basis in our household. Whether it's a smoothie, a sauce, a dip, or a drink, it happens often, and I just can't get enough of it. You literally push a button and walk away. Or if you're just looking to chop things a bit, there's a pulse button as well. And it's oh so easy to clean!

*If you're interested in purchasing a Blendtec, please check out the link. I will let you know that this is an affiliate link and I will receive a  percentage of commission for your purchase, but that doesn't change any prices for you at all - In advance, if you do purchase a Blendtec through my affiliate link, I thank you so very much.

For additional nutritional information + weight watcher's points, please check this recipe out on My Recipe Magic.

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