I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who didn’t like spinach artichoke dip. It’s usually the most popular appetizer at a party.
I never knew why I liked it so much until the first time I tried to make it. I searched for recipes and found my answer at the top of the ingredients list – sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, parmesan, butter, cheddar, gouda. What’s not to like, right?
I really had no idea it was so high calorie and high fat. I like taking sinfully delicious dishes like this and making a healthy version of them. Since I’ve been following Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live plan for a while, I decided to see if I could create this dip in a way that would comply with his standards. I don’t think any slimmed-down version of spinach artichoke dip can fully capture the creamy goodness of mayo and all that cheese, but I think I came pretty darn close!
It’s easy to throw together and can be served hot, cold or room temperature, and served with veggies or chips. I used black bean chips which were quite tasty!
Ingredients (serves 6 – 8)
1 5 oz. bag baby spinach – chopped
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts (packed in water and drained) – chopped
1 14 oz. can heart of palm (packed in water and drained or use 2 cans of artichokes if you prefer) — chopped
2 Hass avocados
1 shallot – diced (about ½ cup)
2 large garlic cloves – chopped (about 3 tbsp.)
¼ cup lemon juice
½ – 1 tsp. sea salt
Directions
1. In a non-stick pan, sauté spinach, shallot and garlic in a few tablespoons of water (for those following Dr. Fuhrman’s plan), or use a light coating of cooking spray. Cook for 5-6 minutes until spinach is completely wilted. Remove from burner and allow to cool in the pan.
2. Place avocado and lemon in food processor and blend well. This helps to keep the avocado from browning.
3. Squeeze excess juice out of artichokes and heart of palm. Add to food processor and pulse until completely blended.
4. Add spinach mixture to food processor and pulse until completely blended. Do not puree. Salt to taste.
5. Serve hot, cold or room temperature with veggie sticks or chips.
Shannon says
Oh this sounds phenomenal! I love the ingredients list. I bet avocado is a great vehicle to bring everything together.
Amy says
Thanks, Shannon. If you love avocado as much as I do, you might want to give this a try to see what you think!
Vee@VeesEasyVegan says
Another yummy recipe. I would love to know the secret for your pictures, they look amazing.
I cannot get Heart of Palm here. In fact hardly anyone has heard of it even. I used in when I lived in Canada in a vegan “crab” cake recipe. I love using it.
Thanks for this.
Amy says
Thanks, Vicki! No real secret to the pictures other than I take them in natural light. I tried to photograph a couple after the sun went down (see the “Layered Ratatouille” and “Quinoa Stuffed Peppers” recipes) and the photos didn’t turn out. My camera is a pretty basic Canon EOS Rebel T3.