A time to celebrate! / Vegan-Friendly Spinach Artichoke Dip

"To everything, turn, turn, turn.

There is a season, turn, turn, turn.

And a time to every purpose under heaven"

Turn! Turn! Turn! By the Byrds is my second favorite song of all time, right after "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion (I definitely had my dad request it on the radio when I was six). I loved this song growing up, and the verse in the Bible that inspired it is also still one of my favorites. The seasons are turning here in Phoenix, it's getting hot during the day, so Spring is here. The seasons in my life are turning, as well. If I could summarize with one line from the song how life has been lately, it would be "a time to build up" because I'm building on everything I've worked hard for since last year.

Here's a recap of my 2017 so far:

Music school audition - could go either way, either way I'm happy I tried!

Presentation for Thrive families - Thrive is a new, local non-profit here in Arizona that focuses on providing support and basic needs for families at risk of being put into foster programs. I had the opportunity to share my story and a few budget and kid-friendly healthy recipes (here). It was an amazing event and I met so many incredible, beautiful people through it!

CSA Takeover for Monika Woolsey at Hip Veggies) - honestly my RD hero (she’s a sports nutritionist for the Brewers, supports local and native foods, and uses art to market healthy foods and combat food insecurity. Literal career goals.), Monika asked me if I'd like to do a takeover of her CSA box this month and share my creations. This was a huge opportunity for me and my blog to be seen as well as an amazing way for me to learn and push myself creatively! I can't thank her enough! :)

With so many things to celebrate, I thought it was appropriate to share a fun, celebratory party-food recipe which features a couple vegetables from the CSA Takeover! Note the “party food” aspect! It is vegan, so there is no cholesterol, less fat, and less sodium than regular dip, but it's still a food that should be enjoyed in moderation!

Creamy Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 cup chopped artichoke hearts

2 cups steamed and cooled spinach

¾ package firm silken tofu

½ cup vegan cream cheese

2 tbsp cilantro or parsley

1 i’itoi onion or scallion

2 tsp red hot sauce of choice (Cholula is my jam)

1 tsp White vinegar

1. Steam your spinach. You should have about 1 cup after it's been steamed. Drain any excess water and allow to cool to room temperature. You can also use thawed frozen spinach.
2. Clean and slice the white bulb of your onion up to the point that it turns green.
3. Add the onion whites, cilantro, tofu, cream cheese, hot sauce, and vinegar to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. It should be the texture of Greek yogurt.
4. Chop the artichokes into bite-sized pieces and add to a bowl with the spinach.

1. Add the cream mixture to the spinach and artichoke and mix well so that everything is evenly spread throughout the dip.
2. Taste and add more hot sauce if you so desire :)
3. Slice the green portion of your onion and sprinkle on top along with black pepper to taste.
4. Serve with corn chips, pita chips, raw veggies, or anything else you might think would go well with it!

For this recipe, I used Daiya’s plain vegan cream cheese replacement. If you want to go all out, this recipe makes a good cashew cream cheese: https://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2012/12/how-to-make-soy-free-vegan

If using frozen spinach, cut the amount listed in half, measuring only 1 cup of thawed spinach.

I hope that 2017 is treating you all well, too! If it isn't, remember, there's a time for everything under the sun - your time of peace is coming :)