virtual vegan potluck: hot spinach & artichoke dip

Oh man, I am so excited for today! So many of my favorite bloggers coming together& sharing amazing vegan food. What's better than that you ask? Getting to meet a whole slew of new to me bloggers through the potluck- so awesome. A huge thank you to Annie, Somer and Jason for all your hard work organizing the potluck - you all amazing!

I knew immediately what I wanted to contribute to the potluck - this recipe was in my pre vegan binder of tried and true recipes. This dip has been made for Superbowl Parties, Birthday's, Celebrations & Neighborhood Dinners and has never let me down -always a crowd pleaser. 

The ingredients are easy to come by - it is a dip that you can pull together at a moments notice or make ahead of time and reheat when the party starts. I have made this on the stove top, in the oven and in a crock pot - all versions are good, however I really love the baked version.

Not a fan of artichokes? Leave em' out and add in a few additional cups of spinach. 

No vegan Worcestershire on hand? No worries, you can leave it out and it will still be amazing.

I like dips that travel well and this one does - simply reheat upon arrival.  To make transporting & heating even easier make it in your crock pot - this is especially a good option if you are going to potluck.

You can top the dip with daiya, almanese or both. I like the combination of the two, make sure you add the almanese during the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent burning.

I like to serve this dip with crostini, pita chips, bagel chips & fresh veggies - if you can find sesame sticks that would be a pretty awesome dipper too!

Do you have a favorite go to party dip? What are your favorite celebrations to attend- personally, I love Cinco de Mayo and any excuse to have a VBBQ I am there!

Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

serves 8-10

you will need:

2 tsp olive oil

2 medium shallots diced  (about a 1/4 cup)

 4 cloves of garlic minced (more or less to suite your taste)

5 cups Baby Spinach
 1/2 cup unsweetened vegan almond milk or half n half or other non dairy milk
 6 oz Vegan Cream Cheese

(1) 8oz can quartered Artichoke Hearts packed in water- roughly chopped

 few dashes of hot sauce 

few dashes vegan Worcestershire sauce 

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup almanese and/or 3/4 cup vegan shredded cheese, divided

crostini, sesame sticks, veggies, pita chips

assembly:

pre heat oven to 425*

In a dutch oven heat oil over medium heat, Add Shallots and Garlic, saute until fragrant and golden brown.  Working in batches add spinach and allow to wilt. Transfer spinach mixture to a fine mesh sieve, drain pressing to release excess liquid. Set aside.

In the same pan, warm milk over high heat. Add vegan cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Add drained & chopped artichokes, spinach, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup of shredded vegan cheese. Stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a baking dish - place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. At the half way point (at the 10 minute mark) top dip with the additional 1/4 cup of vegan cheese and almanese.

Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit prior to serving. Serve with fresh (sturdy) veggies, pita chips, crostini, sesame sticks.

Enjoy!