spinach

Baked Spinach & Artichoke Dip

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Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I have made other spinach and artichoke dips in the past using sour supreme, vegan mayo and/or vegan cream cheese and I have been wanting to create something a little healthier but still just as tasty.  This recipe replaces the vegan dairy/mayo alternatives with navy beans.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 1 (6oz) jar of marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
  • 10 sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, sliced
  • 1 (14oz) can of navy beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven 350F

  1. In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat; add in the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from the stove and place in a bowl; set to the side.
  2. In a food processor or blender process the beans with the vegetable broth until smooth.
  3. To the bowl of spinach add the artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, nutritional yeast and pureed beans; stir to combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until browned and bubbly.

Serve with vegetable sticks, pita or crackers.

Recipe: Tempeh Bolognese Napoleon

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This week all of my recipes are based on dishes from local Vermont restaurants that I have either always wanted to try or love.  The first dish I made was based on a dish from Leunig’s Bistro in Burlington Vermont.  I went here about 7 years ago and have wanted to return for years however the place is a little pricey so I decided tonight that I would try my own interpretation of a dish off their menu.

Tempeh Bolognese Napoleon

This dish is tempeh bolognese with a white wine tomato sauce topped with sauteed spinach and crispy eggplant over spaghetti.

Tempeh Bolognese:

  • 1-8oz package of tempeh, grated
  • 2 carrots, small dice
  • 2 celery stalks, small dice
  • 8oz mixture of mushrooms sliced (I used shiitake and baby bella)
  • White Wine Tomato Sauce:
    • 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
    • 1T olive oil
    • 1 small onion, minced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 cup white wine
    • 1t Italian seasoning
    • salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

For the Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high and add onion; saute for 5-7 minutes.  Stir in garlic; 30 seconds.  Add the italian seasoning and white wine; cook 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper.

Toss the tempeh with the veggies and tomato sauce and place in a casserole dish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until vegetable are soft.

Sauteed Spinach:

  • 1T olive oil
  • 10oz frozen spinach
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • salt and pepper

In a cold pan add the garlic and olive oil and heat until garlic is warmed. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and toss together until heated through and well coated.

Crispy Eggplant:

  • 1 small eggplant, thinly sliced
  • 1T olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of flour mixed with 1t each of salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
  • 1T salt

Toss the eggplant with the salt and place in a colander and let sit for 30 minutes.  Rise the eggplant and drain.  Pat out on paper towel until mostly dry and then dredge in the flour. Heat the olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium high and fry the eggplant until crispy.

4 servings of cooked spaghetti


To assemble:

On the based put the spaghetti, top with bolognese then the spinach, then the eggplant and sprinkle with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.

Serve with Italian wine and a yummy side salad.



Recipe Post: Spinach Artichoke Dip

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Friday night the Hubz and I stopped at the Co-op for a few necessary items for Mother’s Day Brunch and while we were there we picked up a mini loaf of local bread.  When we got home neither of us was in the mood to cook anything too crazy so I rummaged through the cupboards and fridge trying to find ingredients to make a quick and easy healthy meal.  I found a bag of frozen organic spinach, a jar of artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes; the perfect start to a spinach artichoke dip! For parties I like to make this really creamy spinach artichoke dip which is delicious but not the healthiest since it includes vegan cream cheese and vegan sour cream so this is a great alternative.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 small onion diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 cup of quartered artichoke hearts
  • 10 oz of frozen spinach
  • 1/4 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened original almond milk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth mixed with 1T arrowroot
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1T favorite hot sauce

Directions

In a skillet over medium high heat the vegetable broth and add the onion and garlic; saute until soft.  Stir in the artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes and almond milk and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the nutritional yeast, vegetable broth/arrowroot mixture, salt, pepper and hot sauce.  Cook until the sauce has thickened and is bubbly- if you’d like it thinner add more broth or almond milk.  Serve over pasta, with bread, rice or crackers.

Open Faced Sandwiches and Tomato-Vegetable Soup

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Neil and I got our workouts in this morning so we could relax tonight.  As I said yesterday I found some Daiya cheese and so I have been thinking of different ways to use it so tonight on some nice open faced sandwiches.  To make the sandwiches I turned the broiler on to high and let it heat up while I put the toppings on. I topped local Red Hen bread with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic, thinly sliced tomatoes, basil, Daiya and a sprinkle of garlic salt and pepper.  I placed under the broiler for about three minutes until the cheese had melted and the bread browned.

Holiday Appetizer Recipe: Artichoke-and-Spinach Dip

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Artichoke-and-Spinach Dip

This is a great dish that I make a few times a year usually for parties or nights that we are feeling like something yummy and comforting.  I recently made this dish for our family holiday gathering and it went over great with everyone.  I sometimes like to bake this up until it gets browned and bubbly but it is great hot, warm or room temperature.  Use the leftovers (if you have any) to make yummy grilled sandwiches or quesadillas.

Serve this with veggie sticks, crackers and/or crusty bread

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
  • 1 can of artichokes, drained
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • Two 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 12 ounces vegan cream cheese, at room temperature, I prefer toffutti
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • Salt and Pepper
  1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the artichokes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the lemon and cook until for a minute.
  4. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
  5. Add the tofu cream cheese, nutritional yeast and season with hot sauce, salt and pepper.
  6. Cook, stirring, until the dip is creamy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.

Holiday Side Dish: Creamed Spinach and Parsnips

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Creamed Spinach and Parsnips

  • 4 tablespoons Earth Balance Margarine
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 pounds small parsnips, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 1 cup vegan “chicken” broth
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Two 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups soy milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1.      In a large, deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the Earth Balance in the oil. Add the parsnips and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer over low heat until the parsnips are tender, about 8 minutes.

2.      Stir spinach into to parsnips.

3.      In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Whisk in the soy milk and nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a boil, whisking until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir the sauce into the spinach and parsnips and bring to a simmer. Transfer to a bowl and serve.