Plant Based Spinach Artichoke Dip

*Insert your best whiny voice here*
But Melissa....I don't want to go Plant Based....there's never anything delicious to eat!
*Insert my best mom voice*
You clearly haven't been eating over at the Hive.

:-)

Give me a holler and we'll set an extra place at the table with your name on it!  I'm not promising that there will be any food left over for you - especially if I make this dip.  I made it yesterday on a whim and I seriously ate 3/4 of it myself.  I'm not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed.  Maybe both? :-)

I think it's even better than this Spinach Dip I made last year.  Last year's was great too, but you know how when you eat a bunch of rich, cheesy food you feel just - ugh?  Well, after eating all that I did yesterday the only feeling I had was gratitude. :)

Give this one a try - as a favor to me!  I want to hear what you think! I LOVE that I can actually taste all of the vegetables yet it has that creamy comfort food feeling!

Plant Based Spinach Artichoke Dip

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
3/4c raw cashews (not soaked)
3/4 c almond milk
3 T lemon juice
1/2 T minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t yellow mustard
1 can artichokes, drained
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
3 c spinach leaves

What To Do With It:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Blend cashews, milk, juice, garlic, mustard, and seasonings in a high powered blender.

In a food processor, pulse artichokes, peppers, and spinach (my spinach wasn't pulsing the way I wanted, so I just tore my spinach into smaller pieces by hand).  Do not completely puree!

Mix milk mixture with veggies.  Bake in an 8x8 (or equivalent) baking dish for 17-20 minutes or until it is bubbly and the edges are getting a little browned.

Serve with bread, veggies, or crackers.

Check In

I posted this picture on Facebook last night and it is just really near to my heart right now.

If you'd like to read about our decision to switch from primal to plant based you can check out this post from the beginning of April.   Once my (typical and yet ridiculous) concerns about protein were addressed, I was 100% on board.  I mean how can eating more plants be bad? :)

I would say that we stick to eating plant based about 85-90% of the time.  There have been a few occasions where we've made some meat from our freezer, ordered a pizza, or went out for ice cream - but definitely less frequently than the 1x per week we were planning on when we started.

It has now been 2 1/2 months since we started and I have lost over 15 pounds and my blood pressure has gone from 130/80 to 102/70.  I feel fantastic, my skin looks fantastic, I am never hungry and this is by no means a "diet".  We eat AMAZING foods!  The reclaimed produce definitely helps to make it a cheaper way of eating, but we are so blessed that we actually get more produce than we can eat and share it with not one but at least two different families! :)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are still living Plant Strong here at the Hive and LOVING IT!!!

Now...I'm out to the garden to take some pics for all of you beautiful people!!! :)