Creaminess alert! I’m in love with this Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip.
White beans come into play to create that creamy texture you’re craving, minus the dairy.
If you come across this dip in the store, the veg-sounding name will probably fool ya. The usual culprits show up in full force in the store-bought version… cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, and parmesano. Yup, it’s an overload of the type of creaminess that won’t do your body any favours.
That brings me to one of life’s must-knows.
There are 2 important aspects of the act of eating. The physical side & the mental side.
The way you love and appreciate your food makes a big difference in how your body is going to assimilate those nutrients. If you’re stressed out or worried about that thing you’re eating while you’re eating it (‘oh god, I shouldn’t be eating this…’), your digestion won’t run smoothly (because your adrenal system ~ AKA, your stress centre ~ simply cannot work at the same time as your digestive system).
Step 1 – you’ve got to love the taste.
Step 2- you’ve got to appreciate the food and feel good about eating it.
It’s a lot easier to follow through with step 2 when the food you’re eating is actually good for you, and it helps when it doesn’t taste like cardboard, am I right!?
That’s what it’s all about here. This dip is even better than ‘guilt-free’, I’ll go as far as saying it’s a ‘life-giving’ dip. It’s next-level awesome for your taste buds and your health.
And oooh man, does it ever taste good warmed up with a side of rye sourdough, crackers and veggies.
The white beans give this dip the dip-able texture we’re looking for.
Don’t limit it to a dip! Spread it all over your toast, sandwiches, wraps, or even make it into a pasta sauce by adding almond milk!
There’s just two steps to get to this deliciousness.
Blend
Bake
… that’s it.
Benefits:
- White beans (cannellini beans) are of the legume family. Enough said. Legumes have tons of antioxidants, inulin fibre (prebiotics), minerals, vitamins, and protein. They’re low in fat, cholesterol, and calories (in comparison to the meaty alternative). This is your time to get in yo’ beans! Soak them first, then rinse if you feel that you get gas from them.
- Artichokes = antioxidants. They’re #7 on USDA’s antioxidant-rich foods list! Plus, Vitamin C in artichoke is going to help you absorb the iron in the spinach. What a combo.
- Spinach. We all know it’s Pop-Eye’s fave. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s packed with the good stuff (iron, water content, fibre, plant protein, chlorophyll, plus… niacin, manganese, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate,potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper), but missing the bad stuff (saturated fat & cholesterol). A recipe for Pop-Eye’s physique.
- 1 can white cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (about a ½ lemon)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup packed spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup artichoke hearts (about 1 can, drained), roughly chopped
- Pre-heat your oven to 375°F.
- In your food processor, blend beans with ½ cup nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic, lemon juice, and salt.
- In an oven safe serving dish, mix the bean mixture with the spinach and artichokes.
- Cover with tin foil, then bake for 12 minutes.
- Take the foil off, sprinkle with extra nutitional yeast (or vegan parmesan like Violife's or this recipe) and broil on high for 2 minutes.
- Serve this saucy goodness up with your favourite raw veggies, chips, crackers...you name it.
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