Hot Artichoke-Spinach-'Teese' Dip

Again with the Chicago Soy Dairy Teese Challenge!

This time I had some "mozzarella-style" Teese to experiment with. Now, it's been well-documented that the stuff melts beautifully on pizza, so no need to go there - besides, this is a "challenge"which means "try something half-way creative".

So. I finally tried "vegan-izing" my old comfort-food favorite - Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip. I realize it relies heavily on vegan dairy "substitutes" but I tend to add more spinach and artichokes, so hopefully the dip isn't as heavy and rich as your typical recipe. Mind you, I haven't tried the original, goopy, mayo-laden dip in over six years, but in my humble opinion, this vegan version knocks the original right out of the tail-gate party!

Although spinach is traditional, I've also tried this with very finely chopped and cooked kale or chard, and the results were good. Different; the kale isn't quite as soft or mild, but still tasty. The dip also makes a wonderful pasta sauce, just in case you have leftovers.

Hot Artichoke-Spinach-'Teese' Dip

1/2 a tube Teese Mozzarella-style, (about 1 cup) crumbled or shredded
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 cup Vegan Sour Cream
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional if you don't like it - makes a less "runny" dip)
1 clove garlic (or MORE!!), peeled and minced/pressed
1/2 tsp. dried basil or 2 Tbsp. fresh, minced

1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts (optional but I like the crunch)
salt and pepper to taste
couple shots Tabasco (optional and to taste)

juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 14 oz. can OR 1 9 oz. frozen bag artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
OR 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped (sometimes I use more)
2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained (wring in cheesecloth)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Lightly grease a small baking dish.
Blend cashews in food processor with just enough water to make a thick, smooth "cashew cream". Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup vegan sour cream and 'Teese' until runny.

In a medium bowl, mix together "cashew cream", the rest of the sour cream, the sour cream-Teese mixture, garlic, basil, Tabasco, water chestnuts, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with a bit more 'Teese' if you want. Put in oven about 10 - 15 min, just until Teese bubbles and melts on top or dip is starting to brown.

Serve with crackers, veggies, or put in a hollowed-out bread-bowl. Yum!

Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf

Dinner the other night seemed to have a Mediterranean twist without any particular planning ahead. First, I'd found several amazing artichokes at the market and simply trimmed and steamed them. If you don't know how to trim artichokes, there are many tutorials online, but usually they trim off WAY more leaves than we prefer. Basically, mine looks like THIS before I put 'em in the pot...

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Well, artichokes take a while to steam, and I had a starving 9-year-old "Sprout" bouncing around the kitchen anticipating her favorite veggie, so I decided to distract her by having her help make a rice pilaf-type thingy to go with.

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Since Sprout was assisting me in the kitchen, the rice ended up with several of her OTHER favorites, garbanzos and pistachios. And it turned out GREAT! The combination was such an accidental hit with my kids, I made it for a potluck yesterday and again, it disappeared quickly.

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The secret to our rice is a spice blend called za'atar. Za'atar is generally prepared using ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or some combination thereof, mixed with toasted sesame seeds and sometimes, salt. I prefer the version that also has sumac, and is more tangy and reddish in color - TOTALLY delicious stuff. I discovered it several years ago and use it often in roasted veggies, potatoes and hummus. You can find it at Middle Eastern markets and specialty grocery stores. (You CAN sub some thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice if you really have to).

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Middle Eastern Rice with Za'atar and Garbanzos

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1 cup long grain white rice

1/2 cup vermicelli crumbled into 1 inch long pieces (or angel hair pasta, or orzo)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 cups chicken-style, or vegetable broth

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans

1/2 cup water

2 tsp za'atar Mediterranean seasoning blend

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Put vermicelli and oil in a deep, covered pan suitable for cooking rice.

Heat until the vermicelli is golden brown. (Just like you were making "Rice-A-Roni" if you've ever done that...)

Add rice, broth, garbanzos and water and mix well. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes until rice is cooked, checking once or so to make sure it's not sticking. Turn heat off and let sit a few minutes. Stir the pilaf, add seasonings and serve garnished with pistachios.

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My 'Sprout' loved breaking up the angel-hair pasta into small bits (we did this over the sink, because the stuff flies EVERYwhere..) as well as opening the can of garbanzos, draining them and dumping into the rice. She also chopped the nuts and shook in the spices.