Our Veggie Kitchen

I frequently experiment with new ideas for vegan sandwiches, especially sandwich spreads.  They make school-time lunches a breeze and they often double as a dip for veggies or chips.  With my oldest daughter, it's often a dip for her spoon.

I've made this Artichoke Dip a few times.  It's got a subtle white bean base and just creamy enough, while avoiding a calorie overload.  And the artichoke flavor shines through.  I've also made this Spinach Dip.  With the stronger spinach flavor, I could use a whole can of white beans without tasting beany.  But my girls turn their nose up at all the spinach.  This iteration, blending the two is the perfect mix.  It's healthy enough to use it in a sandwich, its got great flavor and my girls love it.  In fact, it's my favorite of the three.



Artichoke Spinach Dip
1 bunch spinach, washed, chopped and cooked
8 oz water chestnuts, finely chopped
6 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, minced
2 tbs pickled jalapeno peppers, minced
Sauce:
1 can white kidney beans
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
1/4 cup vegenaise
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic

Add the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly, until very smooth. To the blended sauce, add the cooked spinach, minced water chestnuts, minced artichokes, and jalapenos.  Pulse the blender to combine and refrigerate until the sauce thickens, at least a couple of hours. The dip is better if kept overnight.
Makes about 3 cups

12 servings: 139 cal (5g fat, 19g carbs, 6g protein)

Healthy might be a stretch, especially if you're digging in with a bag of salty potato chips. But this dip is definitely not the mayonaise, cream cheese and more cheese dip that every other recipe seems to have. The star of this dip is actually artichoke hearts, made creamy with blended white beans (and, yes, a little Vegenaise and tofutti). But, in my defense, Vegenaise is a little miracle that should, at times, be celebrated.



Healthy Artichoke Dip
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained & minced
6 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained & minced
1/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers, minced
1/4 cup shallots, minced
Sauce:
3/4 cup white kidney beans (1/2 can), drained & rinsed
1/4 cup Vegenaise
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbs juice from pickled jalapenos
1 tbs miso
2 cloves garlic

Add the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly, until very smooth. Pour into a bowl and combine with the minced artichokes, jalapenos and shallots. Stir to combine and refrigerate until the sauce thickens, at least a couple of hours. The dip is better if kept overnight.

12 servings: 132 cal (5g fat, 18g carbs, 5g protein)