CREAMY KALE AND SPINACH DIP

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups cashews, soaked overnight or in boiling hot water for 1 hour (then thoroughly drained) Sunflower seeds

• 1 can white beans

• 1 can artichoke hearts

• 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp olive oil, divided

• 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (sub up to half with water)

• 4-6 Tbsp nutritional yeast (to taste)

• 3/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp sea salt, divided

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinagar

• ½ tsp turmeric

• ½ tsp paprika

• ¼ tsp cumin

• 1 lg package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeeze-drained

• 3 cups kale, finely chopped (or just double up on spinach)

• 1/4 cup Vegan Parmesan Cheese Optional

• optional: veggies, crackers, chips, or 1/2 baguette sliced and toasted, for serving

Instructions

1. If you haven’t soaked your cashews yet, do so the night before in room temperature water, or 1 hour before in very hot water. Drain thoroughly.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly grease a small, oven-safe serving dish (see photo for size reference).

3. Add soaked and drained cashews to a blender with almond milk and puree into a cream. Add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 3/4 tsp sea salt and mix once more. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. You want it pretty cheesy and well-salted, so I added the full 6 Tbsp nutritional yeast. Set aside.

4. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil and then add spinach and kale. Season with a healthy pinch (1/4 tsp) of sea salt and black pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until wilted, then remove from heat.

5. Add 3/4 of the cashew cream (see photo) and toss to combine. If it can take more, add it in. Otherwise, reserve the rest for pasta or other uses. Add 2 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese for additional texture/flavor and stir.

6. Add to prepared baking dish and top with remaining vegan parmesan.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through and sightly browned on top.

8. Before serving, top with additional vegan parmesan cheese if desired. Other add-ons might include red pepper flake or hemp seeds.

9. Serve with assorted vegetables, tortilla chips, crackers, or toasted baguette. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to a few days, though best when fresh.

#dairyfree #musthaves #dips