Vegan Spinach Kale Dip
Equipment
- high speed blender
- large non-toxic skillet
- 8"x 8" oven safe baking dish
Ingredients
Cashew cream
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water till soft (20-25 min), then drained and rinsed
- ½ cup water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon tamari or coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Spinach & kale
- 5 cups fresh chopped kale. tightly packed
- 5 oz fresh spinach roughly 5-6 cups
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ heaping teaspoon garlic granules
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Mix in
- ½ cup shredded vegan parmesan cheese I used Follow Your Heart
Toppings
- vegan parmesan cheese
- hemp seeds
- garlic granules
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- First, add cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water for 25-30 minutes, or until the cashews are soft.
- While the cashews are soaking prepare the spinach and kale; de-stem and chop the kale, then wash and dry the spinach (chop and remove stems if desired). When the cashews have about 5-10 minutes left, preheat the oven to 400 °F. Grease a baking dish (see notes) with avocado oil and set aside.
- Drain and rinse the cashews and add the rest of the ingredients listed under "cashew cream" to the blender (water, lemon, garlic, tamari, salt, & pepper). Blend on high for 10-20 seconds, or until smooth.
- Warm a large skillet on medium-low heat and add kale. Drizzle with avocado oil and a good sprinkle of salt, pepper, and garlic granules. Continuously stir, as it starts to decrease in size, add spinach to the pan and continue to stir until both greens are wilted *add more seasonings or oil as the greens cook if needed
- Remove from heat and stir in the cashew cream and vegan parmesan cheese. Pour into the greased baking dish and top with hemp seeds, additional cheese, pepper, and crushed red pepper (pepper and crushed red pepper are optional).
- Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes or until the top is golden and the cheese has fully melted.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy with tortilla chips, crackers, or veggies.
Notes
I use enough kale to fill my 12" skillet and then once it decreases in size (and I have room in the pan) I add the spinach. Make sure to continuously stir so the greens do not burn.
Chopping size is based on personal preference but I did about ½ inch pieces. You can go smaller, but I wouldn't go larger than an inch as it will be difficult to scoop.
I've used an 8 x 8 inch & a 10.5 x 7.5 inch pan and had great results with both. Whatever pan you love to cook brownies in will work!
*The dip can be made a few hours beforehand and stored in the fridge until it's ready to be baked.
Recipe inspired by Minimalist Baker's Creamy Kale and Spinach Dip