Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip (Vegan)

This is so good I ate it with a spoon. My new favorite and oh-so-easy recipe. Since eliminating dairy a few years ago, spinach artichoke dip (a childhood favorite) has become something I crave and on rare occasions buy only to be disappointed. It's never as good as I remember and I always experience uncomfortable belly symptoms after eating it. Today I finally decided to make a vegan version and was so pleased with it I surprised myself. I've never wanted to make this dip myself because, let's face it, artichokes can be intimidating. Thankfully, this recipes takes out the confusion, just don't let making cashew cream (instead of using dairy) scare you away! It's extremely simple and easy so long as you have a blender with a small attachable container or a food processor. If you don't have either of these things I highly recommend you go get one!

Cashew Cream

Organic Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews (whole cashews, not pieces)
• fresh, filtered water

Directions:
Rinse the cashews in a strainer under water. Place in a bowl with enough water to cover them about an inch. Cover the bowl and soak the cashews for a minimum of two hours but preferably overnight (I soaked them for about 3 hours). Drain the cashews, rinse under cold water and place into a food processor or high-speed blender with one cup filtered water. Process on high for several minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides if neccessary, until you have a very creamy texture.
Makes roughly 1 1/2 to 2 cups raw cashew cream.

---

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Organic Ingredients:

• 2 - 10oz bags frozen, chopped spinach
• 2 - 14oz cans/jars of artichoke hearts (I like the Native Forest brand)
• 1 tbsp avocado oil (or other high-heat oil)
• 1 small onion, diced (about a cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp sea salt 
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper or fresh ground to taste
• 1/2 tsp+ cayenne pepper (to taste; I used 1-1/2 to 2 tsp Savory Spice Shops Cajun Seasoning)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup+ (depending on preference) cashew cream

Directions:

• Defrost the spinach and squeeze out excess water; set aside. A quick way to do this is to place spinach in a coriander over a pie plate and microwave for 4minutes or more, you'll still need to squeeze out excess water. 
  
• Drain and roughly chop the artichokes
  
• Saute the onions in oil until translucent (10 minutes). Add the minced garlic and cook for another two minutes.
  
• Stir in the chopped artichokes, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne and heat thoroughly.
  
• Add in the spinach and lemon juice and stir until heated through.
  
• Stir in desired amount of cashew cream.
  

Enjoy with sliced cucumbers, different veggies, or grain-free crackers!