Spinach Artichoke Dip

I actually had never really experienced spinach artichoke dip until I dined at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza. Sure, I tasted it at Super Bowl parties and family reunions but it was never really something that I saw as an exquisite dish or appetizer. Spinach Artichoke dip at Brixx is the most savory, warm, salty dip served with either pita bread or blue corn chips for the gluten-free. It completely opened my eyes to how amazing this dip can be. Since turning vegan, I have tried many imitations of cheese, cream, dairy, and meat. Other than when I made Vegan New England Clam Chowder, I feel like this recipe replicates the creamy, cheesy, gooeyness of non-vegan food the best! 

Ingredients:

• 3 slices whole grain bread                      ($0.16)
• 3 tbsp. vegan butter                                ($0.24)
• 1 medium onion, diced                           ($0.24)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil                                        ($0.02)
• 2 cans white beans, drained, rinsed      ($1.10)
• 6 tbsp. nutritional yeast                          ($1.60)
• ½ cup vegetable broth                           ($0.35)
• 2 tsp. sea salt                                         ($0.02)
• ¼ tsp. dried basil                                    ($0.04)
• 2 tsp. red pepper flakes                         ($0.06)
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced                      ($0.99)
• 8 cups of spinach, chopped                  ($1.60)
• 2 cans artichoke hearts, drained           ($0.99)
• 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese            ($2.35)
• 1 can french fried onions                       ($0.99)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the bread and butter in a blender or food processor and blend to create a dough like consistency. Set aside. Insert the white beans, nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, salt, basil, and red pepper flakes in the same food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside. Sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium heat until translucent. Toss the garlic in and cook for 2 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and stir until warmed. Slowly throw some of the spinach in a few handfuls at a time. Wilt the spinach and then add some more. This will take some time but will yield a healthy, hearty dip! Turn the heat off and add the white bean mixture and half of the mozzarella cheese. Stir until warmed through. Place in a casserole pan and spread the dough mixture over the top of the dip. Add the rest of the cheese on top and place a layer of aluminum foil over the dish. Bake for 20 minutes; remove the foil and add the french fried onions. Bake for an additional 15 minutes; you should have an irresistibly savory spinach and artichoke dip! 

Bread and Butter

Gooey butter dough

Bean Batter

Blended bean batter

Just onions... 

DELICIOUS GARLIC ONIONS

ALL THE SPINACH

Starting to look like artichoke dip

REMEMBER THE BATCHES
ADDING ALL THE SPINACH AT ONCE WILL MAKE A MESS

Wet, wilted, wonderful spinach

Even more gooey than you ever thought possible

Dollops of dough

This is Daiya brand mozzarella but Trader Joe's has a nice version

Are you excited yet??

You do not have to add the whole jar
I LOVE FRIED ONIONS
The cheese is also optional but who does not love CHEESE??

Crunchy, creamy spinach dip

Layers of luscious dip

Another amazing artichoke entrée

Look at that oozing artichoke casserole!

Soooo....we ate the entire casserole in one sitting
It is seriously that DELICIOUS

Devilishly delicious dough makes a great addition to this dip

Look at my new kitchen! It is so much bigger than I am used to
I have room to take display food photos!
I still have a lot to learn so if you guys have any advice on
cooking OR photography, please let me know!

Alright, alright... this casserole dip concoction is a tiny bit more expansive than the recipes I usually post; if you do not eat it in one night it will save very well and actually evens out in price versus quantity of food. BUT WE ARE COWS AND VEGANS NEED MORE FOOD. Anyway, I just thought I would send a shout out to One Green Planet for providing the base for this amazing resskippee (how my boyfriend pronounces recipe, isn't he cute?!) and another should out to my coworkers for being the guinea pigs for this recipe. Except that would involve animal testing. And I am vegan. And I am against animal testing. So never mind about the guinea pigs; I just want to thank them for being so supportive and eating the delicious food that I make. That is all.