Spinach artichoke dip

Spinach artichoke dip is one of my favorite foods. I could eat it almost every day and not get sick of it. I haven't actually tried that so don't hold me to it!

This dip, from Oh She Glows is really easy to make and it's a creamy, delicious and lower fat version than the original spinach and artichoke dip. The navy beans are wonderful in the dip but to warn you, it doesn't have the taste of a traditional cheesy spinach and artichoke dip. It's just as tasty just has a bit of a different taste.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 piece bread + 1 Tbs Earth Balance (processed into crumbs) OR 1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 15 oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, minced (please, we used 5)
4 cups packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, stems removed and chopped
2 Tbs nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
other spices of your choosing (we used a pinch of oregano, some garlic powder and a shake of crushed red peppers.

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Add 1 Tbs olive oil into a large skillet and add in the 2 cups of chopped onion. Cook about 7 minutes on medium heat until onion is translucent.

2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the bread crumbs with 1 Tbs Earth Balance. Remove and set aside. Omit this step if you use pre-made bread crumbs.

3. Now process the drained and rinsed navy beans, 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbs nutritional yeast, 1 tsp salt, basil and other spices.

4. Add in mined garlic to skillet and cook for another few minutes on low. Add in your 4 cups of packed spinach and chopped artichoke hearts to the skillet and heat until spinach is wilted over low-medium heat.

5. Add navy bean processed mixture to the skillet and stir until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in 3/4 of the bread crumbs. Pour into an oven safe dish (I used a 4 cup Pyrex dish). Sprinkle on the remaining bread crumbs and cover with foil.

6. Cook, covered, in the oven at 400ºF for 20 minutes. Now remove the foil cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn. Makes 2.5-3 cups. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then serve immediately with sturdy chips and crackers (or focaccia bread).

Photo courtesy of Oh She Glows blog.