We love artichoke dip for its creamy texture and rich flavors, but artichoke dip typically doesn’t qualify as Recipes as it normally contains heavy difficult-to-digest ingredients like cheese and mayonnaise.
We’ve altered this cheesy, dairy-laden classic to create this (equally addictive) vegan rendition that is free of gluten, dairy, processed foods, and morning-after guilt.
Nutrient Dense Ingredients in Our Artichoke Dip
Whether we are preparing simple but flavorful roasted artichokes or prepping a crowd-pleasing artichoke dip, we know we’ll be getting the benefits of free-radical fighting antioxidants like quercetin and vitamin C. Vitamin C helps our bodies produce, skin-plumping collagen, giving us a youthful glow.
The antioxidant power of our artichoke dip doesn’t stop there. This dish is rich in high-antioxidant ingredients. Like artichokes, onions contain high amounts of quercetin, an antioxidant that can support respiratory health and easy symptoms of seasonal and environmental allergies.
Kale packs in more beauty benefits in the form of vitamin A and C while sundried tomatoes are high in lutein essential for healthy vision and lycopene.
It’s important to note that nightshades like sun-dried tomatoes are not allowed on the Clean Program so it’s best to enjoy this dish before or after your cleanse or simply remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the recipe if you are currently cleansing.
How Is Our Dairy Free Artichoke Dip So Creamy?
We have replaced inflammatory ingredients like the cream, cheese, and mayonnaise found in typical artichoke dip with nutrient dense cashews. Flavorful heart-healthy cashews contain one of the highest amounts of antioxidants found in any nut. Replacing unhealthy fats with nuts can help lower our risk of heart disease.
Eating more nuts can reduce your chances of unwanted weight gain after your cleanse, making this artichoke dip a perfect indulgence to satisfy your cravings without compromising your results.
Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 bulb garlic
- 1 small white onion
- 1 1⁄2 cups artichoke hearts
- 5 cups dino kale
- 1⁄4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 2-4 hours (if you are strapped for time, soak for 30 minutes in hot water)
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup filtered water
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Crumble:
- 1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1⁄4 cup cashews
Directions:
Soak cashews. Ideally for 2-4 hours, but if you are strapped for time you can soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. This will improve the texture of the dish and make it easy to digest.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the top off of a bulb of garlic, drizzle olive oil over top, wrap in foil and roast for 40 minutes.
Thinly slice the onion. Remove the stems and chop the kale. Roughly chop the artichoke hearts. Mince the sundried tomatoes. Halve the lemon.
Caramelize onions. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil a medium pan over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring regularly, until golden brown and caramelized (8-10 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.
To make cashew cream, drain and rinse cashews. Put cashews in a blender with 1 cup filtered water, the juice of half of a lemon, and 2-4 cloves from your roasted garlic bulb (the garlic will easily pop out with a gentle squeeze of the bulb. You can use the remaining cloves to spread on toast or eat alone). Blend on low, slowly moving to high, until it forms a creamy texture free of grains. Set cashew cream aside.
In the same pan used to cook the onions, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add kale and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add artichokes. sun-dried tomatoes, and caramelized onions.
Stir in cashew cream and move into an oven-proof casserole dish.:You can serve as is for a delicious, creamy dip.
To bake in even more flavor. preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cashews and nutritional yeast in food processor. Pulse until combined and then crumble over dip. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite vegetable slices, or gluten free chips.
Recipe and photos by Kaitlyn Noble