Veganuary is a campaign which encourages people to try veganism in January. Not ready to go vegan? No worries, simply substituting a meat based side dish or main meal for a plant based one can significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions, as well as help to improve your cholesterol and lower your blood pressure.
Here’s a great recipe to try out during football games- I serve it all the time and no one knows it’s vegan! Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker.
Ingredients:
3 TBSP Olive oil
5 Cloves garlic, minced
3/4 C. Cashews, soaked and drained
8 oz. Vegan cream cheese
1/2 C. Unsweetened almond milk
4-6 TBSP nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry in a thin towel
1/4 vegan parmesan for topping
Soak cashews for 1 hour in very hot water (uncovered) or in cool water overnight. Then drain and set aside.
In the meantime, heat a large oven-safe metal or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbps of the olive oil and the garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Then lower heat to medium/low and sauté for 1-2 minutes more or until just golden brown. Set off the heat to cool.
To a blender, add soaked and drained cashews, garlic, vegan cream cheese, remaining 2 Tbps olive oil and almond mild. Puree to a cream.
Add 4 Tbps nutritional yeast to start, plus the salt and pepper. Blend again.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Dip should be cheesy in flavor and well salted, so consider adding more nutritional yeast for cheesiness or another pinch sea salt for saltiness. Set aside.
Add the artichokes and spinach to the skillet used earlier. Pour all of the cheesy sauce over the artichokes and spinach. The mixture will look sauce-heavy, but that’s the idea. Stir to combine.
Sprinkle the top with Vegan Parmesan for additional texture/flavor. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until warmed through.
Serve warm with bread, crackers, or vegetables.
Store leftovers (though there are rarely any) in refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Reheat at 350F in an oven proof dish.
Looking for vegan recipies? Here are a few of my favorite vegan cooks with awesome websites:
