Happy Vernal Equinox + A Kale Artichoke Dip

Holy crap it's spring already!  The time seems to have just slipped out of my grasp lately.  It doesn't help that I have been working down in South Texas for the past month and a half for my day job.  Basically it led to limited time at home, limited focus here on the blog, and eating the same food over and over again in my hotel room to be able to keep up a gluten free & vegan diet.  I've still been contributing posts twice a month for Vegan Housewives, but I haven't had time to create posts specifically for my blog.

Since I'm heading out to a vegan potluck this evening, I figured I would get a few quick photos of what I was bringing so I could share it here on the blog.  It's my take on the traditional baked spinach artichoke dip.  I veganized it, added some fresh lemon and herbs, and swapped in kale for the spinach.  Don't get me wrong, I lurve me some spinach but I think I like kale a bit more :)

p.s. sorry about these sub-par photos... I hurriedly took a few before I walked out the door.

     

Baked Kale & Artichoke Dip

inspired by the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook

1- 5 oz container baby kale
15 oz cannellini beans (one can), drained and rinsed
15 oz artichoke hearts (one can), drained and rinsed
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
large pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped chives
large handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast (NOT the same thing as baking yeast)
heaped 1/2 cup cashew cream**
sea salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Steam the kale until it just wilts and turns bright green, then drain it. Coarsely chop it and set it aside

Combine the garlic, red pepper flakes, chives, parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse it a few times to chop everything.  Add the cannellini beans and artichoke hearts and pulse several times until the mixture is thick and chunky.  Add the artichoke mixture to a bowl along with the kale, nutritional yeast, and cashew cream.  Mix it well, then taste and season with the sea salt.

Put the dip in an oven safe dish and bake it at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until it is warmed through and just starting to brown at the edges. Serve warm with your favorite chips, crackers, or veggies.

**to make cashew cream: soak 1 1/2 cups raw cashews in filtered water for at least 3 hours.  Drain the cashews, then rinse them off.  Add the cashews to a blender or food processor along with 3/4 cup of filtered water and blend until smooth and thick.  Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.