Creamy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

I haven't yet met a person that doesn't love hot spinach artichoke dip. C'mon, that gooey, tangy, rich deliciousness belongs on top of every tortilla/pita chip. My version is made without dairy, and instead uses cashews (high in essential minerals) and coconut yogurt for that creamy texture, and nutritional yeast (hello B vitamins!) for the cheesy undertones. I can eat tons of this dip and not get that heavy, "I ate too much and need to go lie down" feeling. Win!

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

5 oz. fresh spinach

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts (I love Trader Joe's, but if you can't find marinated artichokes, just use the regular canned and add a dash of parsley and oregano. A DASH)

1 - 1 1/2 cups cashew cream* (recipe follows)

1/4 cup plain coconut yogurt

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Directions

In a large skillet, saute onion in a little olive or avocado oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5+ minutes. Add crushed garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add spinach, cover, and turn heat to low to allow spinach to wilt, stir occasionally. combine spinach onion mixture in a food processor with all other ingredients and process until smooth with small chunks. (Note: start with 1 cup cashew cream, and increase if needed for consistency.) Pour into an oven or microwave safe dish and heat either under the broiler for a couple of minutes or in the microwave until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, pita chips, fresh naan, veggies...anything your heart desires.

Cashew Cream*

Add 1 cup cashews (unsalted, can be raw or roasted) to a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 12. After soaking, drain cashews and add them to a high-powered blender. Add about 1/2 cup fresh water + 1/4 tsp salt and blend until smooth and creamy, adding more water as needed. Everyone prefers their own cashew cream consistency, but for this recipe I like it to be about like a smoothie. Not thick like peanut butter, or runny like heavy cream, but somewhere in the middle.

*Almonds also work as a substitute for cashews. I have not tried any other nut or seed.

If you make this and love it, don’t forget to share it on Instagram and tag me @theglowblueprint so I can see your versions!